HomeMy WebLinkAbout06-25-24 Public Comment - A. Shchemelinin - Tenants Legal Help In Montana and in BozemanFrom:Anna Shchemelinin
To:Bozeman Public Comment
Subject:[EXTERNAL]Tenants Legal Help In Montana and in Bozeman
Date:Tuesday, June 25, 2024 10:51:30 AM
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As a first-generation immigrant from a socialist country and a mother of three currently adult
children, I have a personal experience of being poor, renting for 18 years because ofunaffordable housing prices and paying more than 50% of my family income to rent a place in
a good school district where my children could learn decent English.
The main lesson that renters like me learned during many years of renting during housingcrises caused by mass migration is that the more the government tries to regulate the law of
supply and demand, the more it hurts the people they supposedly help. In the case of rentalhousing, working tenants, especially working families with children, are the ones being hurt
the most.
In Bozeman, taking taxpayers' money to hire attorneys is unhelpful and fiscally unjustifiablebecause tenants already have more than enough legal help available.
Here is the list of resources available for tenants to protect their rights:
Montana Eviction Intervention Project—Working as a contract MEIP attorney with the
Montana Legal Services Association is a unique opportunity to represent lower-income peoplewhile learning landlord-tenant law and getting paid at the Modest Means rate. For more
information or to apply to be a part of MEIP, contact Brenna Gradus at bgradus@mtlsa.org or406-543-8343, ext. 209.
LegalShield – Provides legal advice for renters facing an eviction. Good source of FREE legal
information to protect renters’ rights. For more information, contact memberservices@legalshield.com or +1-800-654-7757
Montana Fair Housing – Private, full-service, non-profit organization dedicated to eliminatinghousing discrimination. For more information, contact 1-800-929-2611, 406-782-2573, or by
email.
JUSTIA Lawyers – Provides a list of top-rated Montana attorneys serving in Bozeman.
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development – HUD handles complaints abouthousing discrimination and bad landlords. For local resources, contact a housing counseling
agency.
IpropertyManagement – Provides educational resources to help tenants learn their rights.
Rental Housing Rights for Disabled Tenants - Helpful tools for tenants when a landlord usesdiscriminatory housing practices.
Local Bozeman MT Landlord & Tenant Lawyers - When tenants have to use legal help
because landlords violate tenants' rights, landlords are legally obligated to pay all legalexpenses for both sides.
As you can see, properly educating the Bozeman community about the resources available to
them, can avoid unnecessary expenses and reduce taxes on already greatly overtaxed Bozemantaxpayers.
Kind regards,
Anna Shchemelinin
4065514405 ·anna@bridger3d.com
#SocialismMeansSlavery; #CommunismIsFascism