Despite an eviction moratorium in Illinois, Luz Franco, 51, says she was nudged into leaving her apartment late last year after she got COVID-19 and missed work, which led to a late rent payment. She lost heat in her unit and some of her belongings were found on the front lawn.
Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times
When Luz Franco got sick with COVID-19, she missed work and knew she wouldn’t have the money to pay the rent on her apartment in Brighton Park.
Franco, 51, figured she could give what she had to her landlord until she was able to catch up.
But she says the landlord said she was a year behind on rent, and soon she found the heat had been turned off in her apartment, and one day her son found some of their belongings on the front lawn.
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When Luz Franco got sick with COVID-19, she missed work and knew she wouldn’t have the money to pay the rent on her apartment in Brighton Park.
Franco, 51, figured she could give what she had to her landlord until she was able to catch up.
But the landlord told her she was a year behind on rent, and soon she found the heat had been turned off in her apartment, and one day her son found some of their belongings on the front lawn.
She knew that wasn’t how she should be evicted but, worried about the safety of her son, decided to move to a smaller apartment with the help of a community organization, Little Village Unete.