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August 2020 Volunteers

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August 2020 Volunteers

We are so grateful to all of our August 2020 volunteers. Thank you for standing with us during the COVID-19 crisis.

Intimate Partner Abuse Program

  • Marisa Beller, Cruser, Mitchell, Novitz, Sanchez, Gaston & Zimet, LLP
  • Regina Edwards, Edwards Divorce Law
  • Misty Gann, Misty Gann Law, LLC
  • Christopher Green, Fish & Richardson
  • Elizabeth Finn Johnson
  • Thad Kodish, Fish & Richardson
  • Katera Nelson, The Law Office of Katera H. Nelson
  • Debra Segal, Kilpatrick Townsend
  • JoAnna Smith, Georgia Family Law Project

Family Law Program

  • Sana Rupani, Marple Rubin Family Law, LLC
  • Alyssa Potts, Hedgepeth & Heredia LLC
  • Laura Sclafani, Smith & Files, LLC

Saturday Lawyer

  • Aisha J. Thomas, Gate City Bar
  • Robin Danielle Burnette, Smith, Gambrell & Russell
  • Marcia Ernst, Smith, Gambrell & Russell
  • Simone Ford,  Smith, Gambrell & Russell
  • Dana Richens, Smith, Gambrell & Russell
  • Matt Warenzak, Smith, Gambrell & Russell
  • Stephen Youngblood, Smith, Gambrell & Russell
  • Enid Kim, BakerHostetler
  • Randy Williams, Williams & Thomas
  • Christine R. Emello, Ballard Spahr
  • Max Jones, Dentons
  • Shelly Anderson, Hunton Andrews Kurth, LLP
  • Larry Bracken, Hunton Andrews Kurth, LLP
  • Andrew Mason, Attorney at Law
  • Douglas H. Tozzi, Attorney at Law
  • Amanda Brown, Attorney at Law
  • LaJuana Fells, Attorney at Law
  • Michael Arndt, Hawkins Parnell
  • Samantha Skolnick,  Bloom Parham
  • Alaina Joseph, Attorney at Law
  • Francine McQueen, Attorney at Law
  • Devin Schoonmaker, Barnes & Thornburg
  • Lawrence “Larry” Humphrey, Barnes & Thornburg
  • Sarah Hawk,  Barnes & Thornburg
  • John Moye, Barnes & Thornburg
  • Diana Grant, Attorney at Law
  • Thomas Ryan, Attorney at Law
  • Robert “Bo” Burke, Attorney at Law
  • Jesús Arredondo, Attorney at Law
  • Jean Abreu, Attorney at Law
  • Evan Cline, Attorney at Law
  • Garth Snider, Attorney at Law
  • Andrew Murphy, Attorney at Law
  • Sarah Parker, Holland & Knight
  • Doug Minor, Holland & Knight
  • Kendel Drew, Holland & Knight
  • Megan Eckel, Holland & Knight
  • Jessica MacAllister, Holland & Knight
  • Kyla Baker, Holland & Knight
  • Yao Li, Seyfarth Shaw
  • Lennon Haas, Seyfarth Shaw
  • Tieranny Cutler,  Holland & Knight
  • Douglas H. Tozzi, Attorney at Law
  • J. Tyler Tippett, Attorney at Law
  • Andrew Murphy, Attorney at Law

Saturday Paralegals & Students

  • Cassie Alston
  • Marion Lynn
  • Daniel Hanfelt
  • Aishah Moore
  • Katharine Green
  • Lisa Wilkerson
  • Kaitlyn Malone 
  • Victoria Hill
  • Kimberly E. Averett, Social Worker
  • Destiny D. Crosby
  • Bridget Evans
  • Cecil Fant
  • Nicole Ghosten
  • Rachel Kellogg 

Housing Court Assistance Center

  • Shenetha Releford, IRS
  • Rebekah Whittington, Emory University School of Law                 
  • Alice Lin, Emory University School of Law                                           
  • Jacqueline Clarke Dodd, Georgia State University College of Law        
  • AJ Johnson, Georgetown Analytics Advisers and Consultants              
  • Darryl Davis,The Law Office of Darryl Davis               
  • Mark VanderBroek, Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP                  
  • Alayna Trilling, Emory University School of Law                                
  • Elizabeth Moore, Emory University School of Law    

Winetasting Is Cancelled. Now What?

ASHLEIGH STARNES | SEPTEMBER 30, 2020

For the first time in 28 years, we won’t be having an annual Winetasting.

The AVLF Winetasting has been the premier fundraising event of the holiday season for nearly 30 years. Every November, 1,000 of our friends in the legal community and beyond come together to celebrate our commitment to the fight for equal justice.

But this year is different.

Without Winetasting, we’re relying on the generosity of our donor community.

As you’ve probably guessed, it’s not safe to host any in-person fundraising events this year. With great sadness, we decided to cancel the event.

While there have been some incredible online events from our community partners in the last few months — like the GAIN Un-Gala — we knew that the unstructured, unscripted nature of the Winetasting just wouldn’t translate to a Zoom room.

The cancellation impacts our fundraising strategy. The Winetasting is a big networking opportunity (and a lot of fun!), and the event attracted a lot of donors in the past. But this year, we’re relying on the generosity of our donor community to help us meet our fundraising goals — even without a big event to celebrate.

We know that this community —  even without Winetasting — will come together to support Atlanta families in a time of unprecedented crisis.

Since the event was a thank-you for our Annual Campaign donors, we’re devising new ways to recognize our generous 2020 sponsors. We’ll be updating our donors as our plans take shape.

For now, we encourage you to stay connected to our work. You can still donate to the Annual Campaign. You might want to attend our virtual screening of The Invisible Class (followed by an exclusive live panel interview with the director Josh Hayes), or sign up to volunteer.

We’re all in this together, and we know that this community —  even without Winetasting — will come together to support Atlanta families in a time of unprecedented crisis.

We’re sending our donors exclusive content about upcoming events and updates about AVLF. You can make a contribution here.

Ashleigh Starnes

Communications Manager

As AVLF’s Communications Manager, Ashleigh develops strategy, design, and content for AVLF’s digital and print communications. She’s deeply committed to sharing resources and education with her community at large – and makes it her mission to support AVLF’s programs and outreach in all they do.

Ashleigh is an Atlanta native. Before joining AVLF, she was a Fulbright Scholar in Turkey. Ashleigh holds a Bachelor’s in English and Linguistics from the University of Georgia. She is also a performance artist, and can occasionally be seen performing movement pieces, poetry, and combinations of the two around Atlanta and beyond.

Check out more from this author. 

Adapting Fast: Our Take on the “New Normal”

ASHLEIGH STARNES | September 29, 2020

COVID-19 has changed so much about our everyday reality. Here are six ways AVLF has transformed in response.

When the COVID-19 crisis began, everything changed. Our physical offices closed, our staff went full-remote, and we went into high-gear transforming our programs into all-virtual services.

As the crisis has evolved, we’ve asked ourselves: what are Atlanta families’ most urgent needs? And how can we step up to help?

Here’s a rundown of our new normal.

1. Survivors of intimate partner abuse face new challenges — and we’re supporting them along the way.

While intimate partner abuse has been on the rise throughout the pandemic, our services are constantly adapting to the ever-changing landscape. 

Our staff at the Safe Families Office, along with our friends at Partnership Against Domestic Violence, are helping survivors get the legal and social services they need to achieve safety and stability — without having to risk coming into the courthouse.

Our attorney volunteers have been hopping on Zoom calls to stand with survivors during their hearings. Whether it’s for a custody dispute or a protective order extension, our staff and volunteers are supporting survivors through the “new normal” of virtual hearings. 

2. We’re responding in real-time to the housing crisis, which has been exacerbated by COVID-19.

From the court closures to the CDC’s recent eviction ban, the landscape of landlord-tenant proceedings has been in constant flux. Throughout the pandemic, thousands of Atlantans have been served with eviction papers, and the backlog of cases keeps the pressure mounting.

We increased our hours at the Housing Court Assistance Center in the Fulton County Courthouse, so that either remotely or in person, tenants can get real-time help filing an Answer. Our HCAC staff help tenants understand the complicated paperwork — a crucial service when one mistake can mean a default judgment against the tenant.

We’ve also trained a team of volunteers to help negotiate with our clients’ landlords, helping prevent evictions and set up payment plans for tenants. Our Saturday Lawyer Program continues to run fully remotely, and our Standing with Our Neighbors program continues their neighborhood outreach, helping Atlanta tenants understand their rights and the resources we can offer.

3. We’re collaborating with community partners in new ways.

Collaboration is one of our core values at AVLF — and it’s never been as important as it is now. In the last six months, we’ve come together with dozens of our community partners to effectively respond to the challenges COVID-19 presents.

Our Standing with Survivors team, for example, has been working tirelessly with our friends at the @Promise Center to provide survivors of intimate partner abuse with emergency help, like a hotel stay or financial assistance. And our social workers have been working with Dress for Success: Atlanta, who has been providing survivors with useful employment tips and interview-appropriate clothing — all no contact! — helping them feel confident and reassured during their interviews. 

Each of our programs has been in constant collaboration with our community partners throughout the crisis. We’re making sure our clients have access to as many resources as possible — even beyond the courtroom.

4. To date, we’ve provided over $828,000 in direct emergency financial assistance.

Perhaps the most dramatic impact of the COVID-19 crisis has been the massive rates of unemployment. For families who were already living paycheck to paycheck, the pandemic wreaked havoc on the stability of many Atlanta communities. 

With lost income, families have been struggling to pay rent, to keep their lights on, and to provide basic necessities for their children. Recognizing the urgency of the situation, we dramatically expanded our capacity to provide emergency financial assistance to Atlanta families in crisis.

You can read more about this effort in the recent Letter from Leadership from Sonya Humphries.

5. Funders have stepped in to help.

The following funders stepped up to help us respond to this unprecedented crisis. They’ve helped us keep our doors open, recruit and train volunteers, and get the word out about our services. 

Anonymous • Anonymous CFGA Donor Advised Fund • Abreu Charitable Trust • Annie E. Casey Foundation • AEC Trust • APS Caregivers • Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation • Bobbie Bailey Foundation • Bank of America Foundation • CFGA SPARK Opportunity Donor Advised Fund • City of Atlanta • Criminal Justice Coordinating Council • Cousins Foundation • Georgia Bar Foundation • Glenn Family Foundation • Humana • Ida Alice Ryan Foundation • Kaiser Permanente Foundation • MailChimp • Morgens West Family Foundation • Sartain Lanier Family Foundation • Stadium Neighborhoods Community Trust • United Way of Greater Atlanta/Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta COVID-19 Response Fund • United Way of Greater Atlanta • Westside Future Fund • Wells Fargo • RentPath Gives Back

6. For now, all of our in-person events have been cancelled.

As a nonprofit, we rely heavily on community support to keep us running. For the sake of everyone’s health and safety, we’ve had to cancel our in-person fundraising events indefinitely — which means that our fundraising has become much more challenging.

AVLF relies on people like you to fund our crucial community programs. We hope you’ll consider joining us as a monthly donor at any amount.

Please consider making a contribution to our work today.

Ashleigh Starnes

Communications Manager 

As AVLF’s Communications Manager, Ashleigh works in website content development, social media outreach, and various other forms of communication with our clients, volunteers, and supporters.

Ashleigh is ever-eager to share the remarkable stories of our work, and the impact of AVLF’s staff and volunteers on our community.

Before joining AVLF, Ashleigh was a Fulbright Scholar in Turkey. She holds a BA in English and Linguistics from the University of Georgia. She is also a performance artist, and can occasionally be seen performing movement pieces, poetry, and combinations of the two around Atlanta and beyond.

Check out more from this author. 

 

Paying Rent for an Uninhabitable Home

Angel moved into her apartment and noticed a terrible smell right away. She had numerous issues with her apartment, such as her sink overflowing whenever her neighbor did laundry. The Housing Authority came out to inspect the property multiple times.They suggested that she move.

With the help of the Housing Authority, Angel found a new place to live – but she lost her security deposit. The landlord claimed she owed over $4,000. Volunteer attorney William Holley II of Parker, Hudson, Rainer and Dobbs LLP helped Angel get her security deposit back in full, and the amount the landlord claimed she owed was waived. 

Thank you, William!

Home Is Not For Rats

Most of the units in Will’s complex were boarded up and abandoned. Rats came to his apartment looking for food. They got into his kitchen through the unit’s numerous holes and nibbled on her bread.

His landlord shrugged and provided rat traps, which quickly filled with dead rodents.

Appalled, Will stopped paying rent and came to AVLF’s Saturday Lawyer Program. There, he met Bradley Hull of Ford Harrison. Bradley’s letters and phone calls to the landlord were ignored, so he filed suit. 

Ultimately, the landlord agreed to waive thousands of dollars in rent, and returned Will’s security deposit in full. He has now moved into a much nicer home. Great work, Bradley! 

Staff Attorney Trevi-Ann Thompson becomes ABA Section of Family Law Fellow

ASHLEIGH STARNES | AUGUST 10, 2020

Our very own Trevi-Ann Thompson is one of 5 national recipients of this prestigious fellowship.

Please join us in congratulating Trevi-Ann Thompson for receiving a national fellowship with the American Bar Association’s Section of Family Law!

The two-year fellowship will involve financial support for classes and conferences, mentorship and careers support, leadership experience, and more.

According to the ABA’s Family Law section, this fellowship was created to build long-lasting community relationships within the Section, to increase participation by diverse family lawyers, to offer mentorship, and to develop future leaders of the Section.

Trevi-Ann is  an unrelenting advocate for survivors of intimate partner abuse with family law needs.

Trevi-Ann graduated from Emory Law, where she mentored students interested in doing family law as the Vice President of the Family Law portion of the Family & Elder Law Society. She was also a part of the Black Law Students Association, Emory Public Interest Committee, Immigration Law Society, Labor & Employment Society, and Student Legal Services.

Trevi-Ann interned with the Family Law firm Ney, Hoffecker, Peacock & Hayle (now Hayle, Hoffecker & Peacock), along with Fulton County Superior Court Family Division Judge Belinda Edwards, before later interning for Judge M. Yvette Miller with the Georgia Court of Appeals.

Prior to moving to Atlanta, she lived in Hawaii where she worked at a family law firm and volunteered with the Temporary Restraining Order Unit of the area courthouse. She hails from Montego-Bay, Jamaica where she earned her first law degree (Bachelors of Law-LLB) at the University of Technology. 

As a Staff Attorney for our Family Law Program, Trevi-Ann has been an unrelenting advocate for survivors of intimate partner abuse.

We’re honored to have Trevi-Ann on staff, and we’re so excited for her incredible achievement!

Every little bit helps. Become a monthly sustainer of our organization, or make a one-time donation. We can’t do this work without you.

Ashleigh Starnes

Communications Manager

As AVLF’s Communications Manager, Ashleigh develops strategy, design, and content for AVLF’s digital and print communications. She’s deeply committed to sharing resources and education with her community at large – and makes it her mission to support AVLF’s programs and outreach in all they do.

Ashleigh is an Atlanta native. Before joining AVLF, she was a Fulbright Scholar in Turkey. Ashleigh holds a Bachelor’s in English and Linguistics from the University of Georgia. She is also a performance artist, and can occasionally be seen performing movement pieces, poetry, and combinations of the two around Atlanta and beyond.

Check out more from this author. 

Volunteer Take: Working at the Housing Court Assistance Center

REBEKAH WHITTINGTON | August 5, 2020

Rising third-year law student at Emory shares her experience supporting Atlanta tenants facing eviction at the Housing Court Assistance Center (HCAC).

Immediately when the COVID-19 pandemic began, I began to fear what would happen to people who are no longer able to work safely and would be facing eviction. Many questions ran through my mind: Will people be forced to move or find a new home during a global pandemic? Would landlords start taking “self-help” measures to evict people without going through the legal process? Will there be any resources for tenants who are facing eviction given that nearly all business and agencies were closing or reducing hours?

When I learned the HCAC was looking for volunteers, I jumped at the chance to provide some relief for tenants.

Luckily, I learned that tenants are able to get help through AVLF’s Housing Court Assistance Center (HCAC) which is located in the Fulton County Magistrate Clerk’s Office. I had already worked for another legal aid organization in Atlanta and volunteered with AVLF before, so when I learned the HCAC was looking for volunteers, I jumped at the chance to provide some relief for tenants. I eagerly signed up for a couple 3-hour shifts.

Despite my personal familiarity with Georgia real estate law, I quickly learned that I did not need to have any prior experience dealing with real estate or landlord-tenant issues to be an effective volunteer for the HCAC.

Before my first volunteer shift, a representative from AVLF sent me a short training video. Once I arrived at the HCAC, the attorney who runs the center taught me everything else I needed to know.

The disparity in money and power between landlords and tenants is part of the reason I volunteer with the HCAC.

Volunteering at the HCAC has been an extremely rewarding experience. Housing insecurity is a huge problem in Georgia, and the pandemic has only exacerbated the situation. Tenants, particularly low-income tenants, are at a huge disadvantage when seeking legal help compared to most landlords. The disparity in money and power between landlords and tenants is part of the reason I volunteer with the HCAC. My goal in volunteering is to help bridge the gap in resources between landlord and tenant.

Tenants who visit the HCAC generally need help drafting an answer to an eviction complaint. The answer contains the tenant’s defenses to the eviction and any counterclaims the tenant may have. Filing an answer is very important because failing to file an answer could result in a tenant automatically losing their case and facing eviction. Occasionally, tenants will come to the HCAC for guidance related to general landlord-tenant issues or post-judgment issues.

 It is critical tenants have access to information about their rights and options. A short consultation with a tenant can change the course of their life.

Being able to counsel tenants on their rights, even during a short consultation, makes a tremendous difference. It is critical tenants have access to information about their rights and options. A short consultation with a tenant can change the course of their life.  

During my first volunteer shift, a tenant visited the clinic on behalf of her grandmother who lived in government assisted housing. The grandmother was in the hospital, and her landlord had told her granddaughter that he was evicting the grandmother from the property and to vacate the property within a couple of days. The landlord had not pursued an eviction through the court system. The landlord, like many landlords in Georgia, did not care about following the law when conducting evictions, likely because the landlord probably believed the tenant would not be able to pursue any legal action against him. The landlord even placed dumpsters outside the property for easy access when he removed any belongings left in the property. I was able to help the attorney working in the clinic draft a letter to the landlord which stopped the illegal eviction and gave the granddaughter time to move her grandmother’s belongings out of the property. This story is not a unique one. During my time volunteering at the HCAC, countless other tenants have faced similar issues.

I was hesitant at first to volunteer in person at the HCAC because of the pandemic. During my first volunteer shift, my mind was put at ease.

The Magistrate Court of Fulton County will begin hearing eviction cases again in the coming weeks. I urge anyone who may be interested in helping tenants in Atlanta to volunteer with the HCAC. I was hesitant at first to volunteer in person at the HCAC because of the pandemic. During my first volunteer shift, my mind was put at ease. The HCAC has put into place many safety precautions, and I have never worried about getting sick at the HCAC. The experience is extremely rewarding, and increasingly necessary due to the rising number of evictions in Georgia.

Have you seen the 2019 Annual Report?

Guest Author: Rebekah Whittington

Law Student, Emory University

“My grandmother, Nancy Goldman, taught me that volunteering and giving back to the community is extremely important and something everyone should do if given the opportunity. Volunteering through AVLF during law school and being able to help people in my community who are facing eviction has been a tremendously rewarding experience, and I look forward to volunteering with AVLF throughout my career.” 

 

From Abuse to Safety and Security

Patricia came to the Safe Families Office as a last resort. Her husband’s jealousy and controlling behavior had reached a breaking point, and she wasn’t sure what to do.

She told our staff that he was obsessed with her and her phone – going so far as to repeatedly call her at work to verify that she was there, texting her from the next room to check up on her, and placing tracking devices on her car. 

She tried to shield their son, but her husband would often call her degrading names in front of him. The abuse escalated to physical violence.

Patricia’s husband even broke her computer because he didn’t want her to have access to social media, or ways to contact friends. She tried to shield their son, but her husband would often call her degrading names in front of him. The abuse escalated to physical violence.

Danny Patterson with Nelson Mullins didn’t hesitate to accept her case, and he passionately and expertly presented the details of her case to the judge. Patricia was awarded a 12 Month Protective Order against her husband, including child support and spousal support, possession of the home, and ordering her husband to undergo drug and alcohol abuse evaluation as well as attend Family Violence Intervention classes.

“Danny was amazing,” Patricia said. “[He] took his time to explain everything to me and always answered all my calls/emails.”

Her husband was delinquent on the mortgage, and they were at risk of being penalized.

While Danny was busy preparing her case, one of our social workers Camille Millar was busy working with Patricia to stabilize her living situation. She found out that her husband was delinquent on the mortgage and they were at risk of being penalized.

Through AVLF and our partnership with Housing Plus, Inc., we were able to pay past due mortgage and late fees in order to keep Patricia and her son in their home.

Camille also connected Patricia to pro bono financial planner services offered by the Georgia Chapter of the Financial Planning Association in order for her to determine how to stabilize their life without her husband. She applied for our Family Law Program for assistance with a divorce from her husband, and we are currently recruiting an attorney to represent her through that case.

Want to support this crucial work? Make a contribution here.

 

CNN Speaks with AVLF on Housing Insecurity, Unemployment

ASHLEIGH STARNES | July 31, 2020

As the federal unemployment wages are set to expire, low-income tenants are worried about losing their homes.

“Every month, even working multiple jobs, I’m robbing Peter to pay Paul.”

Pamela Frank is one of millions in Georgia and around the country whose income has been affected by the pandemic. Like so many other tenants in our city, Pamela is facing financial instability that threatens to displace her.

 

As the federal unemployment assistance is running out, Atlanta families are wondering how to make ends meet and stay in their homes. Our staff attorneys, volunteers, and emergency financial assistance staff are working around the clock to keep Atlanta tenants in stable housing throughout the pandemic.

 Our staff attorneys, volunteers, and emergency financial assistance staff are working around the clock to keep Atlanta tenants in stable housing throughout the pandemic.

In this clip, CNN speaks with Pamela about her experience, as well as Standing with Our Neighbors Staff Attorney Pierce Hand.

“I think what we are facing is a possible mass eviction scenario,” says Pierce. “If you can’t pay [your rent and utilities], you could lose your subsidized housing and face homelessness.”

If you can’t pay [your rent and utilities], you could lose your subsidized housing and face homelessness.

By managing the immediate housing needs of Atlanta tenants, the SWON program is able to stabilize a family, leading to more stable schools, and a more robust, thriving community. The program has been featured in the press several times, including a national segment on CBS This Morning.

BECOME A MONTHLY SUPPORTER

Learn more about the Standing with Our Neighbors program and its impact.

Ashleigh Starnes

Communications Manager

As AVLF’s Communications Manager, Ashleigh develops strategy, design, and content for AVLF’s digital and print communications. She’s deeply committed to sharing resources and education with her community at large – and makes it her mission to support AVLF’s programs and outreach in all they do.

Ashleigh is an Atlanta native. Before joining AVLF, she was a Fulbright Scholar in Turkey. Ashleigh holds a Bachelor’s in English and Linguistics from the University of Georgia. She is also a performance artist, and can occasionally be seen performing movement pieces, poetry, and combinations of the two around Atlanta and beyond.

Check out more from this author. 

Board Member Denelle Waynick Appointed General Counsel and Corporate Secretary at MyoKardia

ASHLEIGH STARNES | JULY 30, 2020

Please join us in congratulating our Board member Denelle Waynick on her new position at MyoKardia!

Denelle has been on our Board of Directors since 2014, and we’re so excited for her next steps as General Counsel and Corporate Secretary at MyoKardia.

Denellehas been an avid supporter of our work for many years. She graduated with a law degree, cum laude, from the Howard University School of Law in Washington, D.C., and has a bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Rutgers University in New Jersey.

As an Assistant Attorney General for the State of New Jersey, Denelle served as chief of staff to (then) New Jersey Attorney General Anne Milgram. She also spent five years within Schering-Plough’s legal department, supporting the Virology and Oncology franchises. Denelle was then a partner with the New Jersey-based law firm of Gibbons, P.C.. Before her new position at MyoKardia, Denelle served as the Vice President of Legal Affairs (US) and US General Counsel & Global Enterprise Risk Management at UCB.

MyoKardia’s mission is to “change the world for people with serious cardiovascular disease through bold and innovative science.”

We’re so grateful for Denelle’s contributions over the years, and we wish her all the best in her new position at MyoKardia!

Every little bit helps. Become a monthly sustainer of our organization, or make a one-time donation. We can’t do this work without you.

Ashleigh Starnes

Communications Manager

As AVLF’s Communications Manager, Ashleigh develops strategy, design, and content for AVLF’s digital and print communications. She’s deeply committed to sharing resources and education with her community at large – and makes it her mission to support AVLF’s programs and outreach in all they do.

Ashleigh is an Atlanta native. Before joining AVLF, she was a Fulbright Scholar in Turkey. Ashleigh holds a Bachelor’s in English and Linguistics from the University of Georgia. She is also a performance artist, and can occasionally be seen performing movement pieces, poetry, and combinations of the two around Atlanta and beyond.

Check out more from this author. 

Serving the Papers: Outstanding Volunteer Craig Brazeman

SHARLENA FOSTER | July 30, 2020

Craig Brazeman has been an invaluable help to our Safe & Stable Families Project.

As the Legal Assistant for our Safe & Stable Families Project, I have the responsibility of arranging for private process servers to serve temporary protective orders (TPOs). In this role, I have had the pleasure of working with Craig Brazeman with Profiles Investigations, and we wanted to take a moment to recognize the outstanding contributions Craig has made to our Safe & Stable Families Project.

Craig is our go-to person when we face challenging situations in serving respondents.

When a survivor files a temporary protective order, the legal protections aren’t official until the paperwork is served. It can be very difficult and dangerous to track down abusers, but Craig is our go-to person when we face challenging situations in serving respondents. I have never encountered a time when I asked for his assistance and he declined to help.

Craig is diligent and often thinks outside the box. There is no denying that his hard work and dedication is a part of our success as a team. He provides AVLF with both paid and pro bono services when needed. There are often times that our TPO clients contact him directly for paid assistance, and it isn’t uncommon for him to provide his services to them pro bono as well.

We are extremely grateful that over the past several months during the COVID-19 pandemic, Craig showed enthusiasm and eagerness to continue to accept requests and execute service for us.

Craig has been a partner with AVLF over the past 6 years, and in 2015, he was the recipient of our Difference Maker award. Craig assists on average with over a dozen intimate partner abuse cases a month. We are extremely grateful that over the past several months during the COVID-19 pandemic, Craig showed enthusiasm and eagerness to continue to accept requests and execute service for us. We appreciate his support and tenacity and hope to continue to work with him for many years to come. 

You can learn more about our Safe & Stable Families Project in the 2019 Annual Report.

Sharlena Foster

Legal Assistant, Safe & Stable Families Project

Sharlena Foster is a native of Colorado. She originally attended Metropolitan College of Denver and is now pursuing a degree in criminal justice from Georgia State University. Having lived in Georgia since 2013, she first became involved with AVLF as a paralegal volunteer with the Saturday Lawyer Program. When not assisting clients, Sharlena enjoys going to the movies and cooking.

 

Breaking the Fall

AYANNA JONES-LIGHTSY | July 29, 2020

Life happens, and sometimes we lose our footing. But without the hand of a friend to grab or a railing to reach for, it becomes harder for us to fight gravity.

We have all experienced a trip or a fall. Normally, we can quickly right ourselves and continue on our way.  

But sometimes, we start out with a light trip that ends up as a full blown fall straight to the ground – “face plant.”  An unexpected reminder that gravity is a force to be reckoned with.

This same type of fall can provide a useful context for analyzing the eviction crisis.  A family member’s income can take a dip due to fewer hours, a layoff or a firing.  This is that slight trip that we can experience from a dip in the sidewalk, or a bit of debris in our path. 

But because the family’s income is at or barely above minimum wage, that “trip” starts the downward trajectory toward the pavement.

* * * * *

Atlanta has a high eviction rate.

Some of the reasons for this high eviction rate include: high income inequality between the lowest and highest income classes, rising rents outpacing average salaries and lack of social safety nets to assist families in crisis. Many families are one paycheck away from homelessness. A single crisis could completely disrupt a families ability to pay rent. 

Eviction and involuntary displacement is a regular reality for too many families. And for Black women and children in Atlanta, the chances of being evicted are strikingly high.

Furthermore, Georgia’s eviction law is not tenant-friendly, meaning that one missed rent payment results in eviction and imminent or actual homelessness less than one month after an eviction notice is filed. 

Eviction and involuntary displacement is a regular reality for too many families. And for Black women and children in Atlanta, the chances of being evicted are strikingly high. Eviction rates are disproportionately higher in Black neighborhoods such as South Atlanta and Southwest Fulton County.

What does a higher eviction rate mean for these neighborhoods?

Higher eviction rates lead to higher transiency and less neighborhood stability.  Neighborhoods that frequently experience a higher turnover rate likely lead to that neighborhood having less of a core population that will pay attention to and demand that regular improvements are made. 

After all, if a family knows that they will not be staying, what is their incentive to invest time and energy in that neighborhood?

A child that constantly has to change schools due to involuntary moves has a harder time adapting and keeping up with their peers.

High transiency also means that the schools have a higher turnover rate for attendance.  n some Atlanta schools, the transiency rate is a high as 40%. A child that constantly has to change schools due to involuntary moves has a harder time adapting and keeping up with their peers.

This higher eviction rate in communities of color does not exist in a vacuum.

Redlining, higher rent burdens, and the systematic destruction of affordable housing have all contributed to a higher rate of eviction in communities of color. 

Redlining

Redlining is the process by which federal agencies as early as the 1930s categorized neighborhoods and their desirability. 

The Homeowners Loan Corporation (HOLC) was a government-sponsored corporation that was established to determine the creditworthiness of different areas for the purpose of refinancing mortgages. Overwhelmingly, the neighborhoods that received the worst grades were the ones with the highest share of minorities, in particular Black residents.

Neighborhoods considered high risk or ‘hazardous’ were often ‘redlined’ by lending institutions, denying them access to capital investment which could improve the housing and economic opportunity of residents,” is how the National Community Reinvestment Coalition describes the effects of redlining.

The practice stunted growth in the communities of people of color and is credited as one of the most significant factors in cementing segregation in American cities for decades.

While redlining was banned with the Fair Housing Act of 1968, the National Community Reinvestment Coalition found in a 2018 study that “most of the neighborhoods (74%) that the HOLC graded as high-risk or ‘hazardous’ eight decades ago are low-to-moderate income today. Additionally, most of the HOLC graded “hazardous” areas (nearly 64%) are minority neighborhoods now. [Source: What is Redlining, and How Did It Happen in Atlanta?]

High Rent Burden

The term rent burden refers to the ratio of your rent to your income. If your rent burden is high, it means that you spend a large amount of your income on your rent.

The average cost to rent a two bedroom apartment in Atlanta is around $1300. However, the average individual working a minimum wage job at 40 hours a week is only bringing home slightly more than $1200 a month.

As of 2016, 63% of children living in low-income families were Black.

On average, it is estimated that families need to earn about twice the federal poverty threshold to meet their most basic needs ($48,678 for a family of four with two children in 2016).  Families living with incomes below this mark are considered low-income.

As of 2016, 63% of children living in low-income families were Black. Lower income families typically more than the recommended 1/3 of their income to cover housing costs leading to higher rent burdens.

Affordable Housing Crisis

Atlanta was the first city to build public housing in the 1930s.  A total of 45 housing units were built between 1936 and 1991.  By the spring of 2011, just about all of those affordable housing projects were torn down – and very little has been done to replace that affordable housing stock. This increases the burdens on low-income families to make ends meet and contributes to the eviction crisis we are currently experiencing.

The least the legal community can do is continue to provide access to the legal services that will help keep them in the housing that they do find.

In short, there are so many obstacles that low income tenants in Atlanta face as they try to obtain and maintain safe, affordable housing.  The least the legal community can do is continue to provide access to the legal services that will help keep them in the housing that they do find.

Atlanta is losing affordable housing quickly,  with a “decline of 16 percent of affordable units between 2010 and 2014.” And research has confirmed that places with higher rent burdens have higher eviction rates.

At AVLF, we work hard to fight for the safety and stability of low income Atlanta families, and reach out a hand to help.

As of June 2020, the Magistrate Court in Fulton county was facing a backlog of over 1,800 eviction cases that have been accruing since the start of the pandemic.

* * * * *

Life happens, and sometimes we lose our footing. But without the hand of a friend to grab or a railing to reach for, it becomes harder for us to fight gravity.

Without savings, or disposable income, that change to income becomes a serious obstacle to the families’ ability to meet basic needs, and the gravity of the situation pulls us further towards imminent homelessness.

Before we even fully comprehend what is happening we can find ourselves on the ground, bruised and dazed. And many families in Atlanta, can find themselves facing eviction before they can even attempt to recover the lost income.

At AVLF, we work hard to fight for the safety and stability of low income Atlanta families, and reach out a hand to help.

You can support our crucial work around eviction defense. Donate now.

Ayanna Jones-Lightsy

Co-Director, Safe & Stable Homes Project

Ayanna serves as the co-director of AVLF’s Safe and Stable Homes Project, focusing mainly on the Standing with Our Neighbors program.  

Ayanna obtained her B.A. in history from Clark Atlanta University. After obtaining her degree, she worked in education for the next four years. Ayanna attended Emory University School of Law before working for the nonprofit Georgia Legal Services Program for seven years. In that position, she worked closely with low-income communities in North Georgia and tackled unemployment, public benefits, subsidized housing, domestic violence, and elder care.