[SEL] Thieves

[curt at rustyiron.com]

Tommy,
Excellent solution.
This Sir, is why you keep getting reelected!
Curt Holland


> I had an eviction hearing for the local HUD development a few years ago
> that was somewhat similar.  The rent ($40 I think for a two bedroom
> unit) hadn't been paid and she had been issued a notice of eviction.
> She appealed stating she was too poor to pay the rent and it came to me.
> The first thing I did was ask if I could visit her home.  She said yes.
> While it was a bit cluttered it wasn't dirty and overall was nice.
> However, I spotted 3 packs of cigarettes and probably a half dozen empty
> beer cans in the trash.  I told them we would return to the hearing
> room.  I asked her who the cigarettes belonged to and she said "me".
> Then I asked who the beer cans belonged to and she said "me".  I told
> her I would issue an order giving her  one month to catch up on her
> rent.  During the time she was not to purchase any cigarettes or alcohol
> and those dollars were to apply to the rent (I was treading on soft
> ground a bit here but what the heck).  I'd have no problem booting her
> out but she had 3 small children under 10 and I wanted them to have a
> home.  I checked in a month later and she had caught up on the rent.  I
> saw her in town a couple of years later and she came up to me and said
> "I want to say thank you, I quit smoking, quit drinking, and I've never
> been late on my rent since".
>
> Sometimes things do work out!