Single Father and His Young Son Avoid Losing Their Home

Life wasn’t easy for Michael Thomas*. He was working full time, raising a young son and facing complicated legal issues with Child and Family Services. Still, he was renting a guest house (the landlord lived in the main house) and was making it all work. 

Then he was blindsided by an eviction notice.

Michael had done nothing wrong. He always paid his rent on time. He had no idea his landlord had defaulted on his mortgage payments until the Sheriff’s Department showed up to serve them both with a notice to vacate. 

Michael was terrified that little Brandon would end up in foster care if they lost their home. 

Things looked bleak. But then Michael’s case worker referred him to Inner City Law Center’s new Bringing Families Home Program. 

Our lawyers reached out to the bank’s attorney. After much discussion and debate, our lawyers established that the notice to vacate did not cover the property’s guest house where Michael lived. Our lawyers also proved Michael was a lawful tenant, despite not having a formal lease.

The bank agreed to let Michael and Brandon stay in their home. 

Like so many of the families we serve, Mr. Thomas and his son were able to stay together and keep their housing because of the dedicated work of Inner City Law Center staff and the generous support of our donors; without donations, our work would be impossible. 

* Names have been changed and photos may not depict ICLC clients. We take client privacy seriously and make these changes to protect client confidentiality.