To: Servando Sandoval, Attorney at Law and Servando Sandoval, [email protected]

Villa Serena Apartments, Continue to Accept my Section 8

Continue to accept my Section 8 voucher, as a reasonable accommodation, due to my disability

Why is this important?

Please accept my reasonable accommodation due to my disability, in order for my family to remain in what's been our home for 5 years, to avoid homelessness. Landlords, who are evicting tenants due to not wanting to participate in the program anymore are making families like mine at high risk of homelessness in this county altogether. The other landlords in the county aren't wanting to accept the program either and the rents out there have skyrocketed, leaving no options for families like mine to keep a roof over our heads.

I started this petition because my family was given a 90-day notice, to move on June 30, 2014, due to having a Section 8 voucher, that they no longer want to accept. Since that time and due to the housing crisis occurring in the Bay Area, we have a high liklihood of becoming homeless if our current landlord won't continue to accept my voucher. My adult daughter and I are trying very hard to further our education through our community college in order to obtain careers so we can stand on our own feet and not have to continue on the Section 8 program. However, if we are forced into homelessness, this will put us at a great disadvantage of completing our goals. I also have a 17 month old granddaughter living with me who doesn't deserve to spend her first years of life homeless due to a landlord who just wants to rid of families for their way of paying their rent. My landlord is not forcing out other families who pay less than new move-ins and increasing their rents little by little and I don't understand why they can't do the same for my family. 12 families here out of the over 100 townhouse/apartments, have been asked to leave for the same reason but I don't know if any of them are disabled like me. With no tenant protections in San Mateo, asking for a reasonable accommodation is the only way to get help and so far my landlord has denied my request. Please help my family keep a roof over our heads and I hope the best for the other families as well.