Columbus Keemer

When 53-year-old Columbus Keemer came to one of Legal Aid’s court-based legal services offices, he was facing a multitude of challenges. Recently homeless, he was struggling with physical disabilities and depression. A Legal Aid housing attorney concluded that Mr. Keemer had been wrongfully terminated from the Section 8 voucher program, and she represented him before the D.C. Housing Authority.

“Without Legal Aid, I would probably be homeless.”

Many hearings later, Mr. Keemer’s voucher was restored. Meanwhile, Mr. Keemer told us he had previously filed for disability and had been rejected. A Legal Aid public benefits attorney worked with Mr. Keemer to supplement the record and file a brief. After a Social Security Administration hearing, an Administrative Law Judge ruled in Mr. Keemer’s favor, finding Mr. Keemer eligible for SSI benefits amounting to $718 a month, as well as back benefits totaling $13,000. Homeless when he met us, Mr. Keemer now lives in dignity and stability in historic Anacostia.

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