St. Johns County Legal Aid Prioritizes Evictions as the National Eviction Ban Is Set to Expire on July 31st

 

 

With the national eviction ban set to expire at the end of the month, The St. Johns County Legal Aid is ready to assist members of the West Augustine community in need. 

The eviction moratorium will expire on July 31, 2021, and managing attorney at the St. Johns County Legal Aid's office Megan Wall encourages renters in need to reach out to the office as soon as possible, so that the team can assist with getting the eviction put on hold.

*August 3, 2021 update: The CDC issued a new eviction moratorium on August 3, 2021 in counties where COVID-19 is spreading rapidly. You have to take action in order to qualify for this new eviction moratorium, and you can read more at the new CDC Eviction Moratorium page, where you can also see whether or not you actually qualify. If you were evicted from your home between August 1st and August 3rd, 2021, you cannot return to their homes or undo the eviction.

Evictions are a priority at the St. Johns County Legal Aid office, since preventing an eviction will help out residents in many other areas. As the office works on getting the eviction put on hold, they also refer their clients to the St. Johns County Flagler Health Care Connect office for aid with getting the rent paid. In addition to the new federally-funded St. Johns County Emergency Rental Assistance program, Wall reiterates that there are many other sources of rental help available for those needing it, and she emphasizes the need to come in for help before the eviction. 

Wall points out that an eviction does not get the landlord any money, whereas they will be able to receive some money, if they work with the St. Johns County Legal Aid office to get their renters back on track with paying rent with the help of the rental assistance programs available. 

The St. Johns County Legal Aid team only has two lawyers in the office, but they are connected to a network of 121 local lawyers, where they refer clients on a pro-bono basis, if any of these will be able to help. Certain issues such as legal matters regarding dreamers and immigration may be referred to the Jacksonville office and other organizations able to help.

Wall's passion for the law was clear as she attended a community event at the Solomon Calhoun Center in West Augustine. "I've always loved equal justice. Our whole constitution was founded on the principles of equal justice under the law, even though when they wrote this, it was nothing like equal justice. But they had this aspirational law that it can be that way, if we all work towards that in the future. We are much closer now than we were 200 years ago....we can keep fighting for that, and I think the younger generation, they are astounding, they are much more accepting...of different races, of different genders, sexual preferences and national origin."

When asked what advice she would give any of the students in our community, who are interested in a career in law, Hall said. "Read. Read books, listen to ideas, think critically, question authority, question everything, question yourself...analyze things, and be accepting, and always with a vision towards justice."

The St. Johns County Legal Aid Offers Assistance With:

Public Benefits/Health/Employment:

• Food Stamps
• Medicaid 
• Medicare
• Access to Medical Care
• Social Security/SSI Issues
• TANF
• Unemployment Compensation
• Worker's Rights
• American with Disabilities Act Claims
• Family Medical Leave Act
• Durable Power of Attorney
  
• Health Care Surrogate
• Living Will 
• Mental Health Issues
  

 

Housing: 

• Public Housing
• Landlord/Tenant Issues
• Evictions
  
• Mortgage Foreclosures
• Housing Discrimination 
• Federal Subsidized Housing

 

Community Development/Municipal Services:

• Neighborhood Improvements
• Non-profit Incorporation
• Community Economic Development
• Community Group Assistance
  

 

Consumer/Predatory Lending: 

• Mortgage and Foreclosures
• Sales and Repair
  
• Debt Collections and Harassment
  
• Bankruptcy 
• Repossession
  
• Student Loans
• Home Repair Loans
• Payday Loans
• Garnishment
• Utility Issues
  
• Credit Report Errors
  

In addition to the above services, the St. Johns County Legal Aid in collaboration with the St. Johns County Bar Association staff also offer a legal advice clinic once a month. You must have an appointment to attend the clinic, and this clinic is specifically geared toward all civil (non-criminal) matters.

You can also attend a Pro Se Class, where you can get assistance with legal forms.

To get help from the St. Johns County Legal Aid give them a call to set up an appointment. There is not any long wait times, and when you make the call, the office will assess your needs and let you know what you need to bring to your appointment.

St. Johns County Legal Aid

222 San Marco Avenue

St. Augustine, FL 32084

904-827-9921

St. Johns County Legal Aid Office Hours:

Monday - Friday 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m., and evenings by appointment only. 

You can learn more about the St. Johns County Legal Aid here.