Ms. O’Brien fled to Georgia to escape her husband, who routinely abused her – at one point he even held a knife to her throat. Not long after she arrived in Atlanta, he followed her here. 

After living in her house for several years, Ms. Arrington discovered both her air conditioner and her kitchen sink were leaking. Even after her attorney’s advocacy forced the landlord to make repairs, he refused to reimburse Ms. Arrington for her water-logged property.

Water dripped from Levon’s ceiling every time it rained. This 54-year-old father of two watched brown water stains spread across the ceiling as his landlord ignored his calls. Then his couch began to smell.

In 2011, a couple paid a security deposit for a house they were never allowed to move into. Even after the trial awarded the couple $7,936 for their security deposit, attorney fees, and fraud damages, the sleazy landlord refused to pay.

After a teenage girl’s first protective order expired, her ex-boyfriend began harassing her again. It quickly became obvious she needed another protective order against him. Former AVLF Board President and passionate volunteer Elizabeth Finn Johnson offered to represent her in a hearing that lasted nearly six hours on a Friday afternoon. 

Twenty-eight-year-old Morris lived in a freezing, rat-infested basement apartment, barely making ends meet. When he lost his job waiting tables at a local restaurant, his landlord gave him a 30-day notice to move.  But the very next day, Morris came home to find his belongings outside and the locks changed.

Julie came into the Safe Families Office four days after her boyfriend held her hostage in their shared home. She had watched as he destroyed all of her clothes, cutting them into ribbons before burning them with cigarettes. He repeatedly threatened to kill her. On the third night, a cell phone slipped from her boyfriend’s hand while he slept. She called for help.

Thanks to Kayla Bell of King & Spalding, not only did the landlord drop all charges – he mailed Ms. Hernandez a check for $500.

Atlanta mom Jane West paid a $900 for her security deposit. But the house soon failed inspection, and she was never allowed to move in. When she asked for her $900 deposit back, the landlord ignored her.

After fourteen years, Mr. Reece’s landlord decided not to renew his lease. Mr. Reece couldn’t find a place to move by the deadline his landlord gave him. Three days later, he came home to find the locks had been changed – with all of his belongings still inside. The property manager insisted that the law was on the landlord’s side, but Mr. Reece knew his rights.

Ms. P’s boyfriend had been violent before, but his abuse had been escalating in frequency and intensity. After a recently attack, he was arrested and charged with simple battery. After the arrest, the Solicitor’s Office recommended that Ms. P visit the Safe Families Office.

An Atlanta grandmother and her grandsons lived in subsidized housing. From time to time, the grandsons would visit their mother, but the mother’s lifestyle meant that the boys always returned to their grandmother’s home – the only stable home they had.