Nationwide — Jaela Jackson, a 22-year-old African American mother from Jacksonville, Florida, is now facing eviction after her rental assistance approval was reversed when she started a new job. She is now packing up her apartment with her 4-year-old daughter after receiving a final notice to leave.
Jackson first fell behind on rent earlier this year, owing about $2,000 in unpaid payments. Her landlord helped her apply in February for Jacksonville’s Eviction Diversion Program, which is run by LJD Jewish Family & Community Services.
In March, she received an email saying she had been approved for rental assistance. Jackson said she believed the support would clear her overdue rent and give her time to get back on track financially.
Around the same time, she started working as an electrician’s assistant. She worked overtime and adjusted her budget around the expected assistance, believing her rent arrears would be covered while she kept her job.
“I was just doing everything I need to do so I could be okay, cause they told me that they were going to pay it,” Jackson told Action News Jax.
Four days after the approval, the organization reversed its decision. In a follow-up email, officials said her new job income placed her above the program’s income limit. Jackson said she had already disclosed her job during the application process and was not expecting the change after approval.
As a result, her financial situation worsened. Her original $2,000 debt grew to more than $6,500, including unpaid rent and legal fees tied to the eviction case. She also lost that job in early March, which removed her main source of income.
“I feel like I got punished for getting a job,” said Jackson.
Jackson said the organization later offered to cover legal fees if she could pay about $5,500 in rent on her own. She said she could not afford the amount and continued trying to get help, but had little success.
By Wednesday afternoon, Jackson was already packing her belongings with her daughter. She said she told her child they were moving to a “new home,” even though she did not know where they would stay next.
She was ordered to vacate her apartment by 6:50 p.m. on Wednesday. Jackson has since launched a GoFundMe campaign for support as she faces an uncertain housing situation. It has so far raised over $5,200.