Pro Bono Victories: April 2018
April 2018 – Publications / Mentions“A mentor once told me that law is a profession, not just a business. As a lawyer, when you see someone who’s down, you try to help them up.
Housing stability is incredibly important for success in day-to-day life, and I believe that a person’s access to housing should not be dependent on social capital. Everyone deserves a support network.” – Zach Mykulak, Associate, Goulston & Storrs
Goulston & Storrs associate Zach Mykulak first met Tracy* at a Legal Clinic for the Homeless at the Women’s Lunch Place.
Tracy was seeking legal assistance after receiving an eviction notice from her landlord. Her grandmother had become ill in the months prior to the clinic, so Tracy had elected to stay with her. In the meantime, she had a friend house-sit at her apartment. After the friend threw a number of loud parties, Tracy’s neighbors complained to the landlord, who decided to start eviction proceedings due to a violation of Tracy’s lease agreement.
Tracy requested a grievance panel hearing, where she would have the opportunity to state her case to a panel comprising representatives from the housing authority and three residents of the apartment complex. Zach worked with Tracy to develop a statement describing the ongoing stress she was dealing with surrounding her grandmother’s health issues and promising to use better judgement in the future.
At the hearing, the housing authority started by presenting the reasoning for moving to evict Tracy. Zach pointed out that the housing authority had not provided any documented evidence of parties or violations of specific provisions of the lease. He then delivered Tracy’s statement to the panel and explained that she was working hard to improve her life by going back to school and meeting regularly with a social worker.
A week later, Tracy and Zach received the panel’s final decision, which denied the housing authority permission to move forward with its eviction proceeding in court. Tracy is relieved that she will be able to keep her housing so she can focus her energy on moving forward.