JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Victoria Hall is a single mother of two kids in Jacksonville who is just a week away from being evicted and she doesn't want to be thrown out on the street.
There are rental assistance programs in place for Florida residents, but Hall was denied twice through Our Florida after losing her job following her decision not to be vaccinated. That's when she called First Coast News for help.
It's a typical afternoon in Victoria Hall's apartment as she helps her kids pick out some popsicles for a snack. But while she's calm in front of her kids, her bills are piling up. Hall lost her job in August after choosing not to be vaccinated for what she says is a health risk. She exhausted her savings to pay rent two months ago. Now she's more than a month behind on her rent and faces eviction next week.
"I've worked for everything that me and my kids have," says Victoria Hall, "I've worked for this home, that's why I'm trying to keep it because I've worked so hard as a single mother."
Victoria was denied rental assistance through Our Florida twice.
"Telling me as a customer 'hopefully I can reapply, hopefully it won't be flagged', how does that help me because I'll be in the same boat for the 3rd time, that doesn't make sense," says Hall. "I just need some type of assistance, that's why I'm pursuing this so much, because it will help me a lot while I'm looking for a job to get on my feet and not worry about a large bill until I can get where I need to be."
Hall even waited on hold with Our Florida for more than an hour just to be told that there wasn't a supervisor that she could speak with to plead her case to be reviewed.
"At this point I'm lost in the process," says Hall, "and I feel like the time I do go to the system and the state for help, dire need of help, I'm in a situation where this one time I need help that you're offering people is a slap in the face to not get a chance to be heard"
A single mom in Jacksonville who feels not just let down by the system, but ignored by it. Since being laid off from her job for not being vaccinated back in August Hall has picked up shifts with companies like Instacart, but she doesn't make enough money to cover her rent.
After contacting First Coast News with her problem, Victoria Hall was able to get an in-person appointment with Our Florida and hopes to be able to plead her case for rental assistance.