“Mitchell Finally Gets A Home!” Help Me Howard Blog, WPIX-TV
February 3rd, 2011
Help Me Howard & Attorney Adam Leitman Bailey team up to find home for paraplegic man.
Last June Help Me Howard reported on the case of Mitchell Braithwaite. A young, disabled man about to be turned out of his home
A shooting victim two years ago that left him paralyzed from the waist down, Mitchell was on the verge of being evicted, when he contacted Howard as a last resort.
He and his mother were being forced to move out of their Bronx apartment, after his stepfather abandoned the family. As Mitchells’ primary caregiver, his mom had stayed home to care for him, so she could not support him and he was going to have to go to a shelter.
Because Mitchell’s medical needs were so great, Howard contacted Real Estate Attorney Adam Leitman Bailey. Bailey and his firm first got Mitchell into “Barrier Free Living”, a special shelter for the disabled. This allowed Mitchell to keep his medical coverage and gave him a place to stay, while they worked on finding permanent housing.
For six months they worked the inroads of the city’s housing agencies, until finally this week came the good news, Mitchell had his apartment and he was thrilled!
“It feels great, really great. I just want to start living my life, start going to school and it’s just about building”.
Mitchell will be living in a brand new building in the Bronx, near Yankee Stadium. He will pay a portion of the rent with the SSI that he receives, while the rest is subsidized. He will receive help from a home health aid and is finally looking forward to the future.
Adam Leitman Bailey expressed his joy on Mitchell’s new home.
“To know Mitchell is moving across the street from Yankee Stadium, into a home of his own, it was like we had won the World Series!”
So why did it take six months to find housing for Mitchell? Believe it or not, that was the expedited version. Unfortunately, the normal process takes much longer, sometimes years.
NYC Housing is terribly backlogged, as Adam’s Associate Attorney explained.
“Even though Mitchell was a priority because of his disabled status, he was still not high enough on the priority list. There are so many people right now who are homeless, that six months is nowhere close to normal and there are just not enough homes to meet the demand”.
So where does Mitchell go from here? He plans to go back to school to study business and accounting. Mitchell’s mom is also doing well. She has since gotten a job and has moved in with relatives on Staten Island. We wish them both the best.
Adam-Leitman-Bailey-Mitchell-Finally-Gets-A-Home-Press-Mention-1.pdf