The following is a guest post from one of the Summer Corps Standout winners, Heather O’Connor, who is an intern at South Coastal Counties Legal Services. She is a student at Roger Williams University School of Law.

South Coastal Counties Legal Services (SCCLS) serves Fall River, New Bedford, Brockton and Taunton, Massachusetts. Our work this summer has focused primarily on the effect of the current foreclosure crisis on tenants in multi-family units. Between these four cities, there were 230 multi-unit properties foreclosed upon, put up for auctions without bidders, and then bought by the mortgage holder’s bank within the past year. The banks then evict the tenants and the properties sit empty for an average of 8-9 months. If each of those foreclosed multi-units housed only two families, then 460 families were displaced over the past year. Currently, there are 906 multi-unit properties in the 90-day delinquency period prior to when foreclosure actually takes place.  Estimating a conservative number of two families per property, at least 1,812 families will be forced out of their homes in the next three months, many with nowhere to go.

To counter the possibility of homelessness many of these tenants may face, we have researched how other community groups are responding to the crisis, mapped out target areas that have been hit the hardest within each city, and created and distributed informational flyers regarding a tenant’s rights when their landlords are foreclosed upon. In addition, we conduct weekly educational clinics where we complete intakes of prospective clients and provide legal advice to those not currently seeking representation. We have also sent personalized letters to tenants whose names and addresses have appeared either on various foreclosure notices or upcoming court cases to inform them that the property they reside in is being foreclosed upon, what they can expect, and what they can do about it.

Although many people feel as though being evicted – or being threatened with eviction – is something to be ashamed of, they need to realize they are not alone in this devastating economic backlash.  In Fall River, for example, one client had moved into her apartment in January and weeks later an auction was held on her front lawn.  She did not receive notice of a new owner so she continued to mail her rent check to her initial landlord.  She called our office after a bank representative had knocked on her door and warned her that if she did not evacuate immediately they would evict her.  In New Bedford, a single mother read one of our letters and confronted her landlord about the pending foreclosure.  In response, he demanded that she be out of the apartment within a week. With a newborn and no local family in the area, she had nowhere to go.  I informed her she had the right to remain in her home, and that only a judge could order her to leave.

The elderly, families with young children, and the disabled are all victims of this crisis. The majority of them do not have the resources to allow them to relocate on such short notice. They need time and they need money.  Although we normally cannot keep them in their homes permanently, we can use legal measures to help keep them in their homes for as long as possible while they figure out where to go. We are often able to obtain a greater settlement for them, providing the ability to pay first, last and security for a new apartment, as well as the moving costs associated with being displaced.

It is very satisfying to know that what I do everyday gives others hope.  SCCLS is coming in at a time where people feel the rug has been pulled out from under them.  I have had the pleasure of standing by some of these people and fighting to guard their rights to ensure some stability during this tough time.  There is accomplishment and empowerment for me and for my clients when they realize they cannot be pushed around by a bank or a landlord that is seeking to relinquish their responsibility.

Having worked at SCCLS for the summer, I have witnessed the immediate impact of my actions on the community.  That being said, the battle has just begun.  I am thankful that SCCLS, the Feinstein Institute at Roger Williams University School of Law, Equal Justice Works, and the Massachusetts Bar Foundation have provided me with the opportunity to help fight the helplessness brought on by this crisis.

See the video below from the Fall River Herald featuring Heather and other law students working in legal services this summer.