Month: December 2020

2021 Advocacy Agenda

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We believe our community deserves:

Access to the Legal System
Financial Security and Family Stability
Economic Opportunity
Racial Equity
Immigrant Rights
Affordable Housing
Access to Health Care
Food Security

Download a printable list of our 2021 Advocacy Priorities here.

Access to the Legal System

  • Make our legal systems fair and accessible to all.
  • Empower and support racial equity and justice initiatives.
  • Ensure access for people for whom English is not their primary language
  • Promote universal representation in civil legal matters.
  • Restore state funding for legal service programs to expand civil legal aid across NC.

Financial Security and Family Stability

  • Reform the NC unemployment insurance program to provide financial security to workers affected by the pandemic.
  • Advocate for tax regulations that benefit low-income taxpayers, including the Earned Income
  • Tax Credit and the Child Tax Credit.
  • Enforce consumer rights regarding rent-to-own contracts, contracts for deeds and other alternative home-financing arrangements.
  • Secure safety and stability for immigrant victims of domestic violence and their children.
  • Remove barriers to and expand Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and other federal and state cash assistance programs.

Economic Opportunity

  • Alleviate collateral consequences of the criminal justice system to promote fair employment, housing, education, credit, and equal opportunity.
  • Expand eligibility for and access to criminal record expunction and driver’s license restoration.
  • Establish a living wage, strong workplace protections, paid sick leave, and regular schedules, especially for essential workers, to promote economic security, mobility, and independence for working people.
  • Expand immigrants’ ability to gain lawful employment.

Racial Equity

  • Expand outreach to Black, Indigenous, Latino, and other communities of color.
  • Address systemic racism in consumer matters, healthcare, access to public benefits, and other areas of our practice.
  • Protect people of color from inequities in our civil legal system.
  • Obtain and sustain stability in communities of color.

Immigrant Rights

  • Advocate for comprehensive immigration reform that recognizes the humanity and value of immigrants.
  • Expand access to affordable, reliable, high quality legal services to immigrants in removal proceedings.
  • Help unaccompanied minors and their sponsors obtain immigration relief.

Affordable Housing

  • Preserve and expand affordable housing units and prevent homeowner and tenant displacement from affordable housing.
  • Enforce CARES Act protections against mortgage foreclosure to protect home stability and generational wealth in low-income communities.
  • Fight predatory real estate investors that steal equity and displace homeowners.
  • Protect homeowners from abusive collection and foreclosure practices on the part of community associations.
  • Provide local property tax relief and public and private assistance to prevent tax foreclosures.
  • Represent immigrant tenants facing eviction and unsafe living conditions to promote housing stability, health, and wellbeing.

Access to Healthcare

  • Promote Medicaid expansion without work requirements in NC.
  • Protect and enhance the Affordable Care Act by increasing access to affordable coverage and expanding the enrollment period.
  • Ensure access to quality health care for Medicaid recipients under NC’s overhaul and privatization of the Medicaid program.
  • Eliminate barriers to care for veterans in regional VA Health Care facilities.
  • Promote timely access to care for children served by local healthcare management entities.

Food Security

  • Ease the burden of applying and recertifying for food and nutrition services.
  • Protect clients from unfair overpayment and fraud claims involving food and nutrition services.
  • Expand language services for people applying for food and nutrition services.
  • Enhance availability of Pandemic EBT and expand other programs to ensure children have access to food.
  • Restore NC’s ability to seek waiver of strict work requirements for SNAP beneficiaries.

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COVID Relief Act $600 Stimulus Payments: General FAQs

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*Originally posted on Dec. 30th, 2020. Updated Jan. 8th, 2021*

In late December, lawmakers passed a coronavirus relief package that provides essential economic relief for millions of workers and people with low incomes. One component of the package is a second round of economic stimulus payments. See below for general FAQs regarding the payment. Additionally, we have FAQs regarding “Mixed-Immigration Status Families and the Stimulus Payment,” “Distribution of the Second Stimulus Payment,” and “How to Claim the Recovery Rebate Credit.”

Who is eligible for the second stimulus payment?

Generally, if you’re a U.S. citizen or U.S. resident alien, you may be eligible for $600 ($1,200 for a joint return), plus $600 for each qualifying child, if you (and your spouse if filing a joint return) aren’t a dependent of another taxpayer on a 2019 tax return, have a social security number (SSN) valid for employment (see exception when married filing joint) and your adjusted gross income (AGI) does not exceed:

  • $150,000 if married and filing a joint return or if filing as a qualifying widow or widower;
  • $112,500 if filing as head of household; or
  • $75,000 for eligible individuals using any other filing status
  • Your payment will be reduced by 5% of the amount by which your AGI exceeds the applicable threshold above.

You aren’t eligible for a payment if any of the following apply to you:

  • You were claimed as a dependent on another taxpayer’s 2019 tax return (for example, a child or student who may be claimed on a parent’s tax return or a dependent parent who may be claimed on an adult child’s tax return).
  • You don’t have a Social Security number that is valid for employment issued before the due date of your 2019 tax return (including any extensions).
  • You’re a nonresident alien.
  • People who died before 2020.
  • Are an estate or trust.

What is meant by a Social Security number that is valid for employment?

A valid Social Security number for the second stimulus payment is one that is valid for employment in the United States and is issued by the Social Security Administration (SSA) before the due date of your 2019 tax return (including the filing deadline postponement to July 15 and an extension to October 15 if you requested it).

If you were a U.S. citizen when you received the Social Security number, then it’s valid for employment. If “Not Valid for Employment” is printed on your Social Security card and your immigration status has changed so that you are now a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, ask the SSA for a new Social Security card. However, if “Valid for Work Only With DHS Authorization” is printed on your Social Security card, you have the required Social Security number only if the Department of Homeland Security authorization is valid.

How much will the second stimulus payment be?

The second stimulus payment will be $600 per qualifying adult ($1,200 for married taxpayers filing a joint return) and $600 per child under 17 years old. Children who are 17 years old and older as well as other dependents are not eligible for the $600 second stimulus payment.

What do I need to do to get my payment?

No action is necessary. Your payment will be issued based on the information the IRS has on file for your 2019 tax return, the information provided by you to the Non-Filers: Enter Payment Info Here tool, payment information entered on the Get My Payment tool, or information provided by a Federal Agency that issued benefits to you (Social Security Administration, Veteran Affairs, or Railroad Retirement Board). (If you don’t get a payment and you are eligible to receive one, it may be claimed as a Recovery Rebate Credit on your 2020 tax return.)

Will the Non-Filers tool be available if I’m not required to file and didn’t use it before November 22, 2020?

No. The Non-Filers tool is no longer available. (If you are eligible for a second stimulus payment and don’t get one, the payment may be claimed as a Recovery Rebate Credit on your 2020 tax return.)

What tax year will the IRS look to in determining my eligibility for the second stimulus payment?

The IRS will look to the 2019 tax year to make eligibility determinations for the second stimulus payment.

Will I need to pay the second stimulus payment back to the IRS at some point and will the payment affect my eligibility for other tax credits?

You will not need to pay the second stimulus payment back to the IRS because the payments are an advance against a new credit for tax year 2020 and these payments will not affect your eligibility for other tax credits.

I’m a college student, can I receive the $600 second stimulus payment if I can be claimed as someone else’s dependent?

You can’t receive the $600 second stimulus payment if you can be claimed as someone else’s dependent. You can be claimed as someone else’s dependent based on your relationship to the filer, your age, whether you lived with your parents for more than half of the year, and whether you were financially independent for more than half of the year, among other factors. This will affect many full-time college students under age 24. However, it’s important to review the rules, since not all college students are dependents. (People who were dependents in 2019, but not 2020, can claim both stimulus payments as a Recovery Rebate Credit when they file their 2020 tax return.)

Do I need earned income to qualify for a second stimulus payment?

You don’t need to have earned income to qualify. The second stimulus payment is available to those with little to no income. Even if you are making $0, you can still receive the full payment. The second stimulus payments phase out at higher income levels, starting at $75,000 for single filers. The phase-out rates are the same between the first and second round of payments – $5 for every $100 that you made above the Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) limit – but because the second stimulus payments are smaller, some people who received a partial payment in the first round won’t get one this time.

Will the second stimulus payment affect my eligibility for public benefits?

Like other tax refunds, the second stimulus payment will not count toward eligibility for means-tested programs and will be disregarded as an asset for 12 months. This means the second stimulus payment won’t jeopardize your participation in programs including Medicaid, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and public housing.

Is the second stimulus payment treated as taxable income?

No, the second stimulus payment is not considered taxable income.

Is an incarcerated individual eligible for the second stimulus payment?

Yes, individuals will not be denied a second stimulus payment solely because they are incarcerated.  An incarcerated individual may be issued a payment if all eligibility requirements are met and the individual filed a 2019 tax return that was processed by the IRS or used the Non-Filers: Enter Payment Info Here tool prior to November 22, 2020. (Incarcerated individuals who don’t get a second stimulus payment and are eligible to receive one, may claim a Recovery Rebate Credit on their 2020 tax return. They can also claim the first stimulus payment as a Recovery Rebate Credit on their 2020 tax return.)

Can the second stimulus payment be intercepted?

The second stimulus payment can’t be intercepted for past-due taxes, student loans, Unemployment Insurance over-payments, or for child support that is owed (the first stimulus payment was subject to seizure for outstanding child support).

Where can I get more information?

For more information about Economic Impact Payments and the 2020 Recovery Rebate, key information will be posted on IRS.gov/eip. Later this week, you may check the status of your payment at IRS.gov/GetMyPayment. For other COVID-19-related tax relief, visit IRS.gov/Coronavirus.

New COVID-19 relief act signed. Aid extended to millions.

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On December 22nd congress passed the most recent COVID-19 relief package. The act provides $908 billion dollars in aid to families, businesses, nonprofits, and states. As we learn more about the act and how the programs and funding will be implemented, we will update our website and social media accordingly. Please contact us at the appropriate numbers below if you or your family are struggling and need assistance.  

This list is not exhaustive, and the bill contains programs and funding not listed here.  

Here is what we know so far: 

Unemployment Insurance

This act extends the CARES Act’s unemployment insurance expansion through March 14th, 2021. Specifically, this act:  

  • Provides an additional $300 per week to supplement all state and federal unemployment benefits, starting after December 26, 2020 and ending March 14, 2021 through the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC) program; 
  • Extends the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program, which provides continued unemployment assistance to the self-employed, freelancers, gig workers, part-time workers and other individuals in non-traditional employment. It also increases the number of weeks of PUA benefits an individual may claim, from 39 to 50; 
  • Extends the Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) program, providing additional weeks of federally-funded benefits to workers who have exhausted their regular state unemployment benefits. It also increases the weeks of PEUC benefits an individual may claim, from 13 to 24 and; 
  • Provides full federal financing of state Shared Work programs, allowing employees who are working reduced hours to claim partial unemployment compensation, through March 14, 2021. 

For FAQs about unemployment insurance click here. Apply for unemployment at the Department of Employment Security website or call 1-888-737-0259.

Economic Impact Payments (Stimulus Checks) 

Critical financial support in the form of one-time direct payments of $600 is being made available for individuals making up to $75,000 and $1,200 for couples making up to $150,000, as well as an extra $600 per eligible child dependent. We do not know if this amount will be increased. This is the same eligibility as the original $1,200 stimulus payment, but also expands these direct payments to mixed-status households, ensuring that millions of immigrant families across the U.S. get access to this relief. 

These payments will likely be distributed in a similar way as the $1,200 payments through direct deposit or check. Stay up to date with this information on the IRS website. 

Those who did not previously receive the original $1,200 stimulus check or received the incorrect amount may be able to receive it through a Recovery Rebate Credit when filing you 2020 tax return. Learn more here. 

If you have questions about the $600 economic impact payments or the recovery rebate credit, contact a tax advocate at: 980-202-7329  

Emergency Rental and Utility Assistance 

This act extends the CDC Eviction Moratorium through January 31st, 2021. Read more on how you can use the moratorium to prevent eviction here. 

An additional $25 billion will be distributed to existing local housing agencies that can best distribute these funds on behalf of tenants. It is unclear what organizations or programs this funding will go toward but can be used to pay past due rent, future rent payments and utility and energy expenses.  

The act provides $638 million to assist low-income families with drinking water and wastewater utility bills. This money will also be distributed via state and tribal governments. You can apply for utility assistance through the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program or RAMP Charlotte. 

Nutritional and Food Assistance 

Millions of families across the country are struggling to put food on the table. This act addressed food insecurity by: 

  • Increasing monthly Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits for the next six months beginning January 1st, 2021 through June 30th, 2021. Unless there are other supplements, this increase will be added to the current maximum eligible monthly amount per family size;  
  • Excluding Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC) from being counted as income for calculating eligibility and amount of SNAP benefits; 
  • Extending SNAP eligibility to college students who are eligible for a federal or state work study program or have an expected family contribution of $0 and; 
  • Improves the Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (PEBT) program to school-age children and expands the program for children younger than six years old.  

If you need assistance with applying for SNAP, PEBT, or other public benefits, contact our Family Support and Healthcare Unit at 704-376-1600. 

Bankruptcy 

The act provides that consumers in Chapter 13 bankruptcy cases will not be denied a discharge if they miss 3 or fewer mortgage payments because of a financial hardship due, directly or indirectly, to COVID–19. Consumers can have utility service maintained or restored after filing bankruptcy without paying a deposit. Also, consumers cannot be denied a mortgage forbearance under the CARES Act if they have filed bankruptcy or received a bankruptcy discharge. 

24,946 APPLICATIONS SUBMITTED FOR THE N.C. EXTRA CREDIT GRANT PROGRAM

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Charlotte, N.C. – The organizers of 335forNC.com have delivered 24,946 submitted applications for the N.C. Extra Credit Grant program to North Carolina Department of Revenue (NCDOR). Each approved application will result in a $335 check for an eligible family, distributing over $8M of aid for those in greatest need. The application period reopened last month after Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy and its partners, Robinson Bradshaw and Legal Aid of North Carolina, took successful legal action to ensure families with the most need had time and access to complete the application. NCDOR will mail checks to eligible applicants by Dec. 30, 2020. (Anyone needing to know the status of their check should call NCDOR at 1-877-252-3052.) For more information, please visit the NCDOR website.

“The Extra Credit Grant program was a wonderful opportunity to provide desperately needed relief to struggling North Carolina families,” said Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy Executive Director Kenneth Schorr. 

Made possible by federal coronavirus relief funds, the N.C. Extra Credit Grant program was intended to help families offset the expense of educating and caring for their children during the COVID-19 pandemic. Eligible middle- and high-income families received grants automatically through N.C. tax filings; however, many low-income families with annual incomes of $20,000 or less could only receive an Extra Credit Grant if they submitted an application to the NCDOR by Oct. 15, 2020. Robinson Bradshaw, on behalf of Legal Aid of North Carolina, Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy and several low-income families, filed a complaint which resulted in a court order on Nov. 5, 2020, that reopened and extended the application period. The 335forNC team worked quickly to create a secure and easily accessible online application which closed Monday, Dec. 7, 2020, at 2 p.m.

“I am proud of the fast and creative approach our team took to ensure that thousands of families got the relief they needed,” said Adam Doerr, an attorney with Robinson Bradshaw. 

Robinson Bradshaw is a Carolinas-based corporate law firm celebrating 60 years of providing comprehensive legal services to clients. Robinson Bradshaw represents businesses across the country ranging from startups to Fortune 100 companies. Learn more at robinsonbradshaw.com.

Legal Aid of North Carolina is a statewide, nonprofit law firm that provides free legal services in civil matters to low-income people in order to ensure equal access to justice and to remove legal barriers to economic opportunity. Learn more at legalaidnc.org.

Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy can provide those in need with information, advice and advocacy in consumer protection, home preservation, health care access and public benefits, immigration, tax assistance and more. Our mission is to pursue justice for those in need. Our vision is to build a just community, where all people are treated fairly and have access to legal representation to meet their basic human needs of safety, economic security and stability. Learn more: charlottelegaladvocacy.org.

USCIS Required to Accept New DACA Applications

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On Dec. 4, 2020, in Batalla Vidal, et al. v. Wolf, et al. the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York required USCIS (U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services) to again accept first-time DACA applications based on the terms of the DACA policy that were in effect prior to the Administration’s putative rescission of the DACA program on Sept. 5, 2017. USCIS is also now required to accept applications for advance parole and continues to accept DACA renewal requests. USCIS will be extending all one-year DACA approvals and employment authorization documents for two years.   

On Dec. 22, a federal judge is scheduled to hold a hearing on the legality of the DACA program in a case brought by the State of Texas. It could be many weeks from the date of the hearing until the judge issues a decision. However, USCIS is currently accepting initial applications for DACA.  

DACA enables certain people who came to the U.S. as children and meet several key guidelines to request consideration for deferred action. It allows non-U.S. citizens who qualify to remain in the country for two years, subject to renewal. Recipients are eligible for work authorization and other benefits and are shielded from deportation.   

The Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy’s Immigrant Justice Program encourages individuals who may be eligible to file an initial DACA application to contact us for assistance as soon as possible. We continue our representation of individuals who are interested in renewing their DACA status and encourage those individuals to contact us as well. Thanks to a partnership with the Hispanic Federation, there are limited funds available to pay for DACA applications and renewals. Contact us at 800-247-1931.

You may be eligible for DACA if you meet the following requirements: 

  • You were under the age of 31 as of June 15, 2012; 
  • You came to the United States before reaching your 16th birthday; 
  • You have continuously resided in the United States since June 15, 2007, up to the present time; 
  • You were physically present in the United States on June 15, 2012, and at the time of making your request for consideration of deferred action with USCIS; 
  • You had no lawful status on June 15, 2012; 
  • You are currently in school, have graduated or obtained a certificate of completion from high school, have obtained a general education development (GED) certificate, or are an honorably discharged veteran of the Coast Guard or Armed Forces of the United States; and 
  • You have not been convicted of a felony, significant misdemeanor, or three or more other misdemeanors, and do not otherwise pose a threat to national security or public safety. 

As we look toward a new federal administration, we encourage those who can advocate for immigrant rights to contact your local representatives to show your continued support for DACA recipients, asylum seekers, and other immigrants in the United States. Let us celebrate this victory with continued activism and momentum into the new year.

The Gift of a Second Chance

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Javourya Winstead had several charges in her youth as a result of being, in her own words, “young and reckless.” Although these charges were from long ago, she still faced the collateral consequences of her past convictions.  

Javourya with her son

Criminal records significantly hinder social mobility, particularly for Black people and other communities of color. Expungement reduces the list of nonviolent offenses that will “flag” a criminal background check, which can automatically disqualify someone for a job. In addition to removing barriers to employment, research shows that expungement leads to increased wages and reduces recidivism—the possibility of someone receiving another charge or becoming re-incarcerated. 

 Eighty-five percent of our clients who seek expungements are Black. Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy is working toward eliminating the collateral consequences of the criminal justice system, giving people who deserve it a second chance, and ensuring individual’s past mistakes are not a substantial barrier to economic opportunity. With our systemic advocacy initiatives, Governor Cooper signed the Second Chance Act into law, which expands eligibility for N.C. residents to have nonviolent criminal offenses removed from their records through expunctions. 

Javourya felt that her past actions no longer reflected the person she is today: “In reality, everybody’s done something [wrong], whether you got caught or not; it’s the principle that I had to own up to it. I did it. And the only thing I can do is change.” She reached out to Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy just to see if her record could be expunged: “I hesitated because I thought, ‘I don’t know if my record’s good enough.” To her surprise, it was.  

No longer burdened with past mistakes, Javourya “felt like the world lifted off my shoulders. . .  I’ve heard ‘no’ so much because of my record that it finally feels good to be able to say sooner or later I’m going to hear a ‘yes.’”  

With her record expunged, Javourya has been able to support herself and her three-year old son and is attending school for real estate this fall. She encourages others like herself to “just make that one phone call and talk to someone at Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy because they are the professionals and know what they’re talking about. One mistake should not be a lifetime sentence.” 

Learn more about the Access To Justice Campaign here.

Justice for Lake Arbor Tenants Subjected to Dangerous Housing Conditions

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The NC Justice Center, Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy, and the law firm of Robinson Bradshaw filed a lawsuit in 2019 against the former owners and property managers on behalf of class of Lake Arbor tenants who had paid rent during periods of time when serious Housing Code violations were left unrepaired in their units.

To read the Lake Arbor settlement agreement click here.

If you believe you are entitled to funds from the Lake Arbor settlement, please fill out this online form (English) (Spanish) or leave a voicemail at 704 376-1600 ext. 524.

Si usted piensa que tiene derecho a recibir fondos del avenimiento de Lake Arbor, por favor llene este formulario en línea (inglés)(español).

Charlotte (Dec. 9, 2020) – The former owners and managers of west Charlotte’s Lake Arbor Apartments agreed to pay $547,500, to settle litigation brought on behalf of a class of former tenants. The Charlotte Housing Inspector found the class of former tenants’ apartments to have dangerous conditions.

The North Carolina Justice Center, Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy, and Robinson Bradshaw represented plaintiffs in the case against Lake Arbor Dean TIC LLC and Lake Arbor 80M TIC, LLC, as well as former property managers Broad Management Group, LLC and Wellington Advisors, LLC. The state Superior Court complaint alleged that the former Lake Arbor owners and property managers violated Charlotte’s Housing Code and North Carolina consumer protection laws between 2015 and 2019 when they improperly sought and collected rent from tenants living in Lake Arbor apartments found to have dangerous conditions. The complaint alleged that the Lake Arbor Apartments owners’ and property managers’ actions violated North Carolina’s Unfair and Deceptive Trade Practices Act, Unfair Debt Collections Act, and Residential Rental Agreements Act. The defendants denied those allegations and claimed that they did nothing wrong or illegal.

“These landlords kept taking the rent and taking the rent, all the while refusing to fix serious safety problems in tenants’ units, as found by the City,” said former Lake Arbor tenant and class plaintiff Serita Russell. “It’s about time they were called to account. I’m glad the lawsuit was settled, and I hope other landlords take this as a lesson on what happens when a landlord cares more about making money than the safety of its tenants.”

After the filing, Lake Arbor evicted all tenants rather than complete repairs. The defendants then sold the property to New York-based URS Capital Partners in April. This sequence of events exposed how dire Charlotte’s affordable housing crisis has become, leaving tenants vulnerable to displacement and homelessness just for exercising their rights to a safe and habitable place to live.

An important consequence of the litigation is that landlords in Charlotte will think twice about allowing dangerous conditions to persist at their properties.

“Landlords and property managers are legally obligated to keep units in a fit and habitable condition and make timely repairs of all violations noted by local housing inspectors,” said Julian Wright, an attorney at Robinson Bradshaw. “Continuing to collect rent while failing to make such repairs can itself violate the law, subjecting the landlords to the possibility of treble damages and attorneys’ fees.”

The North Carolina Justice Center is one of the state’s preeminent voices for economic and social justice. As a leading progressive research and advocacy organization, its mission is to eliminate poverty in North Carolina by ensuring that every household in the state has access to the resources, services, and fair treatment it needs to achieve economic security. For more information, visit www.ncjustice.org

Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy (formerly Legal Services of Southern Piedmont) provides expert legal advice and representation to those who cannot afford it, but desperately need it, something the organization has been doing since its inception in 1967. The Advocacy Center serves more than 3,500 families each year who are facing a crisis of safety, shelter, health or income. Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy provides committed advocacy work on behalf of clients, resulting in policy changes at the local and national level to impact a greater number of people. Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy is a champion for those in need, ensuring their safety, economic security and family stability. For more information, visit charlottelegaladvocacy.org.

Robinson Bradshaw is a Carolinas-based corporate law firm celebrating 60 years of providing comprehensive legal services to our clients. We represent businesses across the country ranging from startups to Fortune 100 companies. Visit robinsonbradshaw.com for more information

A “Little Safe Place on Elizabeth Avenue”

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Melody in her chef uniform

Even before the pandemic, Melody and her family were facing a difficult year. Because of her husband’s heart condition and sister’s disability, Melody was the only member of her family bringing in any income, the majority of which went to paying medical bills and old property taxes her parents had left unpaid after they passed away. Melody was chipping away at the balance but could not keep up: she soon received a letter that the county would foreclose on their home. 

“I was devastated,” Melody shared, “I thought I had tried so hard to get nowhere. I was the only one working and I was putting my family in danger of losing their home.”  

Holding back tears, she still went into work the next day. Combining her love of southern food and her own Native Lumbee cuisines, Melody has been whipping up the daily special at Showmars in the Charlotte Government Center for years. A regular customer noticed she was upset and asked what was wrong. Melody explained her situation and he told her about an organization that could help: Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy.  

Melody, her husband, Jerry, and grandson

Melody quickly connected with The Advocacy Center’s Consumer Protection Unit. We assured Melody “not to worry” and worked with Melody and the county to negotiate a payment plan and that included forgiveness of substantial old tax due from the mid-2000’s. Melody and her family were no longer at risk of foreclosure; they could keep their home. In her own words, it “felt like somebody was on my side other than God himself.” 

Melody calls Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy and Legal Aid of North Carolina-Charlotte “my little safe place on Elizabeth avenue,” and it’s no surprise why: 

“It brightens my day every time I drive by that building!”

As the pandemic progressed, it became clear Melody and her family had other unaddressed legal needs. Melody was worried about being able to make her payments on time after she was furloughed. She connected with Legal Aid, and soon received expanded unemployment benefits under the CARES act.  “I wouldn’t have been able to make those payments, I would’ve lost it all.” 

Melody is the proud grandmother of nine grandchildren: “Them arms around you and everything is most important, my family.”

As part of our work we learned that Melody’s sister, Wendy’s social security benefits had been terminated despite her disability. The Advocacy Center stepped back in to ensure she was receiving the benefits she was entitled to. The Advocacy Center’s Family Support and Healthcare Unit, also assisted Wendy in applying for food stamps to help their family through this crisis.  Melody would soon turn 65, so we also ensured everything was in order for her to receive Medicare in a few short months.  

After working with Melody she says, “They see you as a person and a human being. Almost like Winnie the pooh would say: ‘they’re the best.’ You can tell I watch too many cartoons with the grandkids!” 

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