Street Spirit April 2006

Victory in Marin for Disabled Tenant

by Lynda Carson

Only a few hours after my article about the upcoming eviction of disabled tenant Christine McPherson was sent to the Marin Housing Authority, MHA officials called McPherson, and told her that she would be allowed to stay in her housing and they would not terminate her Section 8 contract. Within hours of this story being written, the Housing Authority backed down from dumping her onto the streets. [See "Marin Housing Official Threatens to Evict Disabled Woman," Street Spirit, March 2006.]

Originally, Christine McPherson was given until February 28 to move out of her housing or lose her Section 8 contract. But, late on the day of February 27, Christine called to tell me that she finally received a written notice from the Marin Housing Authority stating that her housing and Section 8 voucher were saved from termination.

The Housing Authority agreed to accept an offer from Christine's landlord, SCI REALTY, to drop her rent to $1,600 per month for the two-bedroom unit she has resided in for several years.

Congratulations to Christine for being strong enough to fight back and save her housing and save herself from the dreadful situation of eviction and possible homelessness.

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