Community Corner
As Families Face Evictions, AT&T Donates To Bay Area Legal
As the community braces for a wave of evictions, new partnerships offer relief.
TAMPA, FL — Hundreds of members of the community are facing evictions due to job loss and are feeling the detrimental effects of COVID-19.
This past week, AT&T responded quickly to this unprecedented need and extended a $10,000 contribution to Bay Area Legal Services, a local law firm providing free legal assistance to those facing evictions and other legal related difficulties due to the pandemic.
“We are aware of the significant burden our community is facing in the wake of COVID-19 and these resources are vital to stabilizing our community.” said Andrew Hall, regional director of external affairs at AT&T – Florida. “Many of the issues that lead to homelessness among our low-income families can only be solved with legal assistance, a luxury many people are unable to afford. It is our hope that AT&T is making things a bit better for those who are suffering.”
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Single father, Shane Dobson, had just moved with his three kids from Ohio to Tampa when news came of the COVID-19 pandemic’s spread to the U.S. Dobson worked as a construction estimator and, less than a month into his new job, their projects were put on hold and Dobson was let go.
Dobson is not alone. Bay Area Legal Services has received a flood of callers seeking help with legal issues that were due to or exasperated by the pandemic.
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Dobson was one of these clients. The move had eaten up most of Dobson’s savings, so he reached out to his landlord to see if she would work with him. Five days later, an eviction notice was posted on their door giving Dobson's family three days to leave.
Dobson did a quick search for legal aid and was put in touch with attorney Rebecca Cohn on Bay Area Legal’s housing team.
“Rebecca was just fantastic,” said Dobson. “She worked it out with the landlord and I couldn’t have asked for more help.”
Dobson's job never came back, but with the time and resources he received after calling Bay Area Legal, he was able to find a new job and get back on his feet.
“All you can hope for is that people have compassion and others in that situation are fortunate enough to find the same help I did," he said.
This press release was produced by AT&T. The views expressed here are the author's own.