June 2010 -- Derrick Lincoln needed a home for his family. He was a single father who, after serving a prison term for a non-violent offense, was the sole caretaker of his daughter and son with special needs. They had been living with Mr. Lincoln's mother, who passed away. Mr. Lincoln's siblings tried to help financially. Still, Mr. Lincoln could not depend on his family forever - he needed to find a permanent home.
He applied for subsidized housing, but was denied because of his prison record. Says Mr. Lincoln, "They based the decision on something I did. But this was for my child, it wasn't just me." Mr. Lincoln came to Legal Aid, and Maria Smith, supervising attorney in the Housing Unit, took his case. Ms. Smith was able to secure Mr. Lincoln housing through the Emerald Development and Economic Network (EDEN).
A Legal Aid partner organization, EDEN is a non-profit agency which provides and encourages the availability of safe, decent, affordable housing and housing support services for persons who are low-income, mentally ill, and/or disabled. Letric Newton, a Housing Eligibility Specialist with EDEN, worked on Mr. Lincoln's case. She says, "Mr. Lincoln's first priority is his children, and he was doing the right thing to raise them."
Mr. Lincoln has nothing but praise for his attorney: "Maria was wonderful. She took me when I had no hope. She was honest with me." Ms. Smith adds, "The Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction expects that well over 40,000 inmates may return to Ohio communities in 2010; that's a lot of families affected by re-entry issues. Housing and employment are the biggest of those issues. Access to both means a lower recidivism rate and more stable communities."