Lynda & Ada’s Story

Lynda (left) and Ada (right) with fair housing Attorney Tanya Mamootil

Client case: Lynda & Ada’s Story

Lynda and Ada have lived in their apartments in Chicopee for over 30 years, raising their families, cultivating flower gardens, and building a community with their neighbors. 

In 2020, a few months into the pandemic, an out-of-state investor bought their apartment buildings. The new owner began a process of renovating units and negotiating new rents and leases with many of the existing tenants. 

However, Lynda and Ada were not given a chance to stay. Instead, the new owner served them with eviction papers. 

Lynda and Ada participate in the federal “Section 8” rental voucher program to help them afford their rent. They noticed that other tenants who receive rental assistance were also threatened with being evicted.

When housing advocates at CLA investigated, they found reason to believe that the investor was unlawfully discriminating against tenants with housing vouchers. Now representing Lynda, Ada, and other tenants living at the investor’s properties in Western Massachusetts, CLA’s housing advocates will seek to raise discrimination claims in the eviction cases and vindicate the rights of Lynda, Ada and others who receive rental assistance.