When Tropical Storm Helene tore through Avery County, Jamie lost far more than a house. In a single day, he lost the woman he loved, the partner he built his life with, and the place where they were raising their little boy. He was badly injured and grieving. Even simple tasks felt impossible.
In the middle of all that heartbreak, bills still came. Agencies still needed forms. Insurance companies still needed answers. Jamie was hurting, and he was expected to fight through mountains of paperwork while he and his son were trying to survive the unimaginable.
That is when Legal Aid of North Carolina stepped in.
We helped make sure someone could manage his affairs while he healed. We fought for him when FEMA said no and helped secure the funds he needed to rebuild a safe home for his son. We made sure he was protected from crushing debt by working with his mortgage company to forgive more than one hundred thousand dollars that he could not possibly pay.
Jamie was also fighting to receive life insurance benefits meant to help his family after his wife’s passing. He was denied again and again. With help from our attorneys and a dedicated volunteer, he finally received what his family was owed. That support allowed him to pay off debt and take a breath for the first time since the disaster.
Today, Jamie and his son are building their future in a new home, far from the place where they experienced so much loss. He still carries the weight of that day, but he also carries hope.
This is what access to justice looks like. It looks like standing with families when the worst moments of their lives happen. It looks like making sure no one in our state has to face tragedy alone.