Asir, an older male living in Hoboken, New Jersey, had always had a good relationship with his landlord – until he lost his job and started to fall behind on rent. Suddenly, after 5 years in the apartment, the landlord lost patience and stated that Nasir needed to leave in two weeks; he wanted to rent the apartment to a family member, instead. Nasir thought he had no options, and couldn’t sleep for days. He was set to start a new job soon, and the thought of dealing with an eviction at the same time was overwhelming.
None of the agencies Nasir went to for assistance would even allow him to explain his problem. It wasn’t until his friend referred him to Nazareth Housing that a case manager was finally willing to listen to his story and explain the options available to him. For one, he didn’t realize that the landlord couldn’t force him to leave in 2 weeks – he had to give at least 30 days’ notice. He also hadn’t realized that he would get his security deposit back, allowing him to make a deposit on a new apartment.
After his first meeting with Nazareth Housing, Nasir had a good night’s rest for the first time in weeks. He took his case manager’s advice and talked to his landlord, working out an arrangement to stay in the apartment until he found a new place. He also got his deposit back, and was able to begin his new job relatively stress-free.
