BayLegal represents San Francisco teen client fighting eviction from his late grandmother’s apartment

A story in the March 7, 2019 SF Chronicle by Kimberly Veklerov presents the case of Terrance Hall. Mr. Hall, 18 years old and working to complete his senior year in high school, is fighting an attempt by The John Stewart Company to remove him from the public housing unit he shared with his grandmother and sole legal guardian, who passed away in February. Mr. Hall has lived in the apartment since the age of 5.

The John Stewart Company, which manages the property in SF’s Valencia Gardens housing development, is attempting to evict Mr. Hall, citing police complaints of criminal activity in the unit, none of which involved Mr. Hall and all of which allegedly occurred while he was a minor. The company secured an eviction order against Mr. Hall’s grandmother, but a judge has found that the order does not apply to Mr. Hall. However, as of today the company continues to seek Mr. Hall’s removal from the apartment.

We are grateful for the Chronicle’s prominent focus on this case, and hope it will lead to a productive outcome for Mr. Hall. As BayLegal staff attorney Darren Orr, who represents Mr. Hall, has said, we believe that public housing providers should be in the business of decreasing displacement and preventing homelessness. Pushing out a teen resident, living alone and hoping to graduate high school while mourning the devastating loss of a guardian, for causes unrelated to his own conduct would be a grave injustice.

Case Updates

• March 15, 2019: At a hearing yesterday in San Francisco Superior Court, the John Stewart Company’s third attempt to add Terrance Hall to the eviction order against his grandmother was denied. While we celebrate this momentary victory, we remain prepared for additional attempts to evict Mr. Hall, who has not been accused of any wrongdoing.

MEDIA UPDATES AND ADDITIONAL COVERAGE:

• “San Francisco High School Student Faces Eviction After His Grandmother Dies,” CBS SF Bay Area (KPIX), March 7, 2019
• “Teenager Terrance Hall’s fight to stave off eviction from Valencia Gardens apartment is far from over,” Mission Local, March 13, 2019
• “Third Attempt to Evict Teenager Terrance Hall From Valencia Gardens Fails,” Mission Local, March 14, 2019