Woman With Mental Health Issues Wins Housing

If ever there was a case proving that dedicated legal advocacy can make all the difference—and that it should be available to everyone, not just clients who can afford it—DWT partner Maria Browne's success in a recent housing matter is just that case. Her client was awarded a housing voucher last year after an extremely long wait and many years living in a homeless shelter. The client suffers from multiple mental health issues and drug addiction and has a severe speech impediment. Maria met her one evening while staffing a WLCH mobile clinic at a shelter. It had been nearly three years since the woman's voucher expired, and D.C. Housing Authority's original response to Maria was that time had run out on the appeals process. But Maria engaged in an aggressive records request and made her presence known by simply showing up at the D.C. Housing offices— including three times with the client—and requesting in- person meetings. Maria obtained the client's medical records and filed a request for a special accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). It was a long battle, but in January 2019, Maria's persistence resulted in the housing her client so desperately needed. Shannon McNeal also assisted on the case.