HomeMy WebLinkAbout05-13-25 Public Comment - E. Ochoa - Support right to counselFrom:elexisochoa171922@icloud.com
To:Bozeman Public Comment
Subject:[EXTERNAL]Support right to counsel
Date:Monday, May 12, 2025 9:38:14 PM
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My name is Elexis Ochoa and I’m a leader in BridgerHeights Tenant Union.
In March I got a phone call from my landlord 11 Capital
saying I owed $1,200 on my ledger. I was so upset I had to
leave work. I didn’t have that money and I don’t have
anywhere else to go. I don’t have family out here other than
my 3 kids and one on the way. We cannot be homeless
again.
In December I lost my job and went in to recertify to get myrent reduced, signed a paper saying my rent would only be$25 in Jan and feb and then started paying more rent againin march when I got a job. 11 Capital left us here without aproperty manager for weeks so there was no one to talk to.Their office messed up but they’re making me and myneighbors deal with the stress of eviction. 9 of myneighbors got eviction threats that day that were all based onfalse information.
I was in a lot of unsafe situations as a kid. So I sacrificed a
lot to make sure they could be safe in a way I wasn’t.
I’m not willing to give up a community where my kids can
have safety and peace.
Landlords like 11 capital wrongly threaten tenants witheviction all the time and we are set up to fail every step ofthe way. Right to counsel is the bare minimum the city cando to protect families like mine.
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