At the Detroit Justice Center, we often use the phrase Just Cities to talk about an envisioned future where every life is valued equally. Our discussions always include affordable and safe housing for all. Without stable housing, we are at our most vulnerable, which is why we insist on housing as a human right. One aspect of our affordable housing work includes creating long-term affordable housing through building community land trusts, but our attorneys also work with clients who face legal issues with their housing. One such client is Ms. Ghaskin, a client who had previously dealt with housing insecurity. Recently, our staff attorney, Donovan McCarty was able to secure her place as a first-time homeowner in Detroit.
Ms. Ghaskin was unhoused for a time and then found unstable shelter in a house that was in dramatically poor condition. Holes in the structure of the house left Ms. Ghaskin and her family exposed to the elements during the harsh Detroit winter. Unfortunately, Ghaskin lost a young grandchild due to these inhospitable conditions. In 2019, SER Metro and the City of Detroit found her more stable housing, where she’s been ever since. She came to us as a client this year because her housing was once again in a tentative state. Her out-of-state landlord had gotten scammed by a “property management company” that would take on rentals like Ghaskin’s, abandon them, and stop sending money to the property owners.
Ghaskin has been living in the home with her adult son, and they were hoping to find a reasonable solution to this issue that wouldn’t cost them their housing. McCarty was able to step in and negotiate with Ghaskin’s landlords and convince them to sell her the property for an affordable price. McCarty filed a complaint in 3rd Circuit Court for lockout and other violations in housing court, and the landlord, rather than face paying a hefty sum for the judgment, decided to sell the house for an affordable sum to Ghaskin. Working with the United Community Housing Coalition, McCarty was then able to get Ghaskin a land contract at 0% interest, meaning that she’s no longer beholden to a landlord and she can call herself a homeowner. DJC is overjoyed that we could resolve this issue and assist in bringing her family some much-deserved stability.
While not every housing issue results in such a positive outcome, this is what we strive for when we conjure up ideas for what makes a truly just city. Often, tenants struggle in dealing with landlords because they don’t have attorneys to advocate for them in court. Ideally, any community member facing housing issues would be able to access legal representation to advocate for their rights. Until we have truly just cities, we will continue to fight to make housing affordable for everyone and accessible to those who are or have been unhoused in the past.