Tenant Advocacy Clinic

Tonight Phil and I searched for housing for Marilyn. Since Marilyn was busy watching her kids at home, Marilyn's mother served as her proxy. Marilyn continually called in to find out any new developments, but unfortunately, nothing concrete materialized tonight. Marilyn, a Section 8 recipient, has been trying for weeks to find a new home. She wants a three bedroom apartment and can pay up to $1700, yet she has not proved successful. Robyn speculates that Marilyn and other recent tenants in similar situations have fallen victim to discrimination. For instance, a realtor named Sophia did not return Marilyn's calls until repeated threats. Yet, on the day of the appointment, Sophia canceled claiming the apartment had already been rented. That same night we found that Sophia had reposted an add for that same apartment. In addition, when I called another potential landlord tonight, he would not answer any of my questions but demanded that I tell him how many children Marilyn had and what was her monthly income. If there are illegal practices underway, hopefully getting Alan and BC involved will set an example.
-Tiffany