Chelsea did everything right. She still lost her home.

When Chelsea first came to us, she was a young mom with a baby, trying to make the best of a bad situation. The apartment she had been living in was not only expensive, it was also unsafe. There was no hot water, no electricity in half the rooms, and no occupancy permit. When her landlord refused to fix these problems, she did what tenants are legally allowed to do: she notified her landlord in writing that she would be withholding rent until the repairs were made.

Instead of making the repairs, her landlord filed for eviction and took her to court. At mediation, without any legal representation, Chelsea was persuaded to sign a handwritten document stating that she would not owe any money and would vacate the unit in exchange for a good reference. But when the landlord filed the paperwork, they excluded that page, leaving only the portion that claimed she owed more than $15,000 in back rent.

Overnight, Chelsea not only had an eviction on her record, but also what looked like thousands in unpaid rent. In reality, she owed nothing. She had simply been exercising her legal right to demand a habitable apartment. That single moment set off a year-long battle that has kept her and her daughter without a home ever since.

For months, she was told “no” because of the eviction on her record. But with persistence, and with the help of her advocate at Family Promise and our incredible volunteer attorney, we were finally able to show the courts that Chelsea had in fact followed the terms of the judgment she was pressured into signing. She left the apartment on the agreed date and fulfilled her obligations, contrary to what the eviction filing stated. With that proof, the court formally marked the case “satisfied,” clearing the way for Chelsea’s eviction record to be sealed. It was not justice for the unsafe conditions she endured, but it was enough to remove the barrier keeping her from qualifying for housing again.

Chelsea's story is not unusual. In fact, we see it all the time. The system didn’t seem to care about justice or the fact that her baby had no heat for so long. What mattered to the courts and to future landlords was only the paperwork. At Family Promise, we care about both. We care about the families living in unsafe, uninhabitable conditions, and at the same time we fight for the paperwork that can make or break their ability to access housing.

That is why we are walking.

On Saturday, October 18 at Lynch Park in Beverly, we will gather as a community for the Walk to End Homelessness. When you walk, you are not just raising funds, you are standing with families like Chelsea’s. You are sending the message that no child should grow up without a safe place to sleep.

Please join us. Bring your friends, your family, and your community spirit. Every step you take helps write a different ending for a family like Chelsea’s.