603 to the Rescue Last-Minute Legal Aid Reverses Eviction

Prior to COVID, single-dad Cory worked countless hours as an EMT and an on-call firefighter to support his two young daughters. But during the pandemic, when they were no longer able to attend school, he had to cut back on his hours so he could supervise their remote learning.

The CDC moratorium on evictions provided some financial relief for Cory, but he knew that his bills would eventually need to be paid.

“I had thousands of dollars of bills piled up,” he said. “Even working two jobs and putting everything I had inside of me to focus on a better future for my family, my rent was backdated almost five months. This is when my worst nightmare became a reality.”

In early August, the federal eviction moratorium lapsed for a period of three days. Cory’s landlord and the leasing agency filed an eviction against him. 

“I walked to my apartment after work and noticed the big yellow sign,” he said. “My door was locked, and the locks were changed. There was nothing I could do.”

Cory’s family found a motel room with help from the City of Nashua and The Front Door Agency. The Front Door Agency urged Cory to call 603 Legal Aid for assistance.

Cory called 603 Legal Aid first thing in the morning. Paralegal Steve McGilvary carefully explained the process Cory and his family faced ahead of them.

“It was clear Steve knew what he is doing. He thoroughly understood the laws regarding evictions and what rights tenants have,” Cory said. 

Steve helped Cory put together a motion to recall the writ of possession and receive permission to re-enter the unit, in accordance with the CDC moratorium, which a judge granted at the hearing later that day. 

“When this started, I was confident that I was going to be homeless and have to give up my life goals. I’d be wondering what I can do and worrying about my daughters’ well-being. Life would not be the same due to the debt and eviction record. Instead, I went from being homeless to back home in less than 24 hours. It was a miracle I never believed could have happened.”

If there is a single message Cory wants people to take away from his story, it is this:

“Legal Aid works. Legal Aid will do anything and everything to make sure justice is served. I believe with more support of legal aid a significantly less families in need would face homelessness and less landlord harassment and violations would occur. Because of legal aid, I’m now aware of my rights, aware of the rights of a landlord, and I’m not living in the streets. I’m absolute proof that they want to help, want justice served, and want families living in a safe environment. More importantly, I’m proof that NH Legal Aid’s system works.”