|
Part 2: Concrete changes restores hope
Last month we featured a challenging homeowner situation. Ms. J. lived in her Washington, D.C., home in Northeast for 32 years, which she shares with her 37-year-old daughter and 6-year-old granddaughter.
Last year, after a major windstorm, Ms. J. filed a claim with Nationwide Insurance Company to cover the cost of damaged roof shingles. Nationwide agreed to pay $200 for the repairs. The company also dispatched an inspector to check out Ms. J.’s residence. Shortly afterwards, a new letter went out to Ms. J., informing her that Nationwide would cancel her insurance coverage if newly identified and expensive repairs were not quickly resolved.
Yachad staff advised Ms. J. to switch her homeowners’ insurance to Geico, where she already had her auto insurance. to ensure Ms. J. would have coverage while Yachad addressed the repairs. Ms. J. switched to Geico, but her problems didn’t end. Geico, too, after agreeing to insure her, threatened to cancel her coverage unless she made even more expensive repairs, including some that differed from the repairs Nationwide required.
Was the virtually identical treatment Ms. J received from two large insurance companies a coincidence? Or was this a pattern beginning in gentrifying neighborhoods like D.C.’s Brentwood community, where Ms. J. lives.
On Ms. J’s behalf, Yachad contacted National Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA), an experienced nonprofit that leads the fair housing movement. Among its initiatives, NFHA helps individuals file complaints with federal, state and local agencies over unfair and discriminatory practices.
NFHA sent a strongly worded letter to Geico, and the insurance company pulled back, agreeing not to cancel Ms. J’s insurance if her steps were repaired and the window frames fixed and painted. Yachad’s contractors had already fixed Ms. J’s roof.Yachad also negotiated with Geico to get the deadline for repairs extended due to snow delays.
While Ms. J’s broken concrete steps were her 81 year old home’s most serious problem, there were other issues as well. The kitchen sink had no hot water and hadn’t for years. The bathroom sink was also broken.
“Yachad stepped up and took care of everything,” Ms. Jackson said. “And they kept telling me I was going to be okay.”
All the work is now completed at Ms. J’s home at a cost of over $18,000 paid by Yachad.
“When I was told Yachad would pay for everything, I nearly passed out. It was nothing short of a miracle,” Ms. J said. “I finally stopped crying.”
(written by Carol Steinbach)
| 
