Jessica Sinclair,* a single mom with a son and a young daughter with profound hearing loss, lost her customer service job during the COVID-19 pandemic. When her unemployment compensation payments unexpectedly stopped, Ms. Sinclair could not pay her rent. After her landlord filed an eviction against her, Ms. Sinclair was afraid she and her two children would become homeless and reached out to legal aid for help.

Legal aid helped Ms. Sinclair access Ohio’s rental assistance program to pay her back rent and three months of future rent. Her legal aid attorney negotiated with Ms. Sinclair’s landlord and the eviction was dismissed. Thanks to legal aid, Ms. Sinclair and her children remained stably housed, and the future is bright for the family. Ms. Sinclair has a new job, and her daughter will soon receive cochlear implants to improve her hearing.

*Name and photo have been changed to protect client privacy.