spotlight

ALRP client Carlos was living in a homeless shelter and grappling with serious HIV-related health issues when ALRP referred him to Panel attorney Ting Chen. A Mexican citizen, Carlos had applied for asylum through the San Francisco Asylum Office in 2002 because he had been a victim of anti-gay violence in Mexico.

Carlos was wearing a monitoring anklet and living in fear of being deported to El Salvador when he first met ALRP Panel attorney Jim Diamond—but thanks to Jim’s hard work, now Carlos can live in the United States without fear of deportation and without monitoring.

Thomas moved into a shared apartment in the Mission District four years ago. His roommate Michael had already lived there for several years. Thomas made certain that he had the landlord’s permission to move in, and even paid his rent directly to her. Everything was going well until Michael moved out, leaving Thomas as the only tenant.

When Brad Ramsey adopted his new service dog Ren, his landlord threatened to evict him for having a pet. “I felt frantic and heartbroken,” he said. “I’ve been in my apartment for 12 years, and if I had to move, I’d probably have to leave San Francisco, which would make me lose the funding that pays most of my rent. I was really distraught.” Thanks to ALRP Housing Attorney Jaime Rush, Brad won his case and he and Ren are living together happily ever after.