{"id":267,"date":"2020-12-04T01:50:24","date_gmt":"2020-12-04T01:50:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/txnewsroom2020.nextgenradio.org\/?p=267"},"modified":"2020-12-07T02:49:19","modified_gmt":"2020-12-07T02:49:19","slug":"jon-ross-story","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/txnewsroom2020.nextgenradio.org\/jon-ross-story\/","title":{"rendered":"When eviction court moved to Zoom, this attorney kept fighting for renters\u2019 rights"},"content":{"rendered":"

[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.6.3″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”||0px||false|false”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.6.3″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.6.3″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.6.3″ _dynamic_attributes=”content” _module_preset=”default” text_font=”Montserrat|700|||||||” text_font_size=”50px” text_line_height=”1em” text_orientation=”center”]@ET-DC@eyJkeW5hbWljIjp0cnVlLCJjb250ZW50IjoicG9zdF90aXRsZSIsInNldHRpbmdzIjp7ImJlZm9yZSI6IiIsImFmdGVyIjoiIn19@[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.6.3″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”Montserrat|300|||||||” text_font_size=”30px” text_line_height=”1.3em” text_orientation=”center” max_width=”75%” module_alignment=”center”]<\/p>\n

During the pandemic, lawyer Jon-Ross Trevi\u00f1o has been on the frontlines of Houston\u2019s eviction crisis, trying to to keep residents from going homeless.<\/span><\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.6.3″ _dynamic_attributes=”content” _module_preset=”default” text_font=”Montserrat||||||||” text_orientation=”center”]@ET-DC@eyJkeW5hbWljIjp0cnVlLCJjb250ZW50IjoicG9zdF9hdXRob3IiLCJzZXR0aW5ncyI6eyJiZWZvcmUiOiJCeSAiLCJhZnRlciI6IiIsIm5hbWVfZm9ybWF0IjoiZmlyc3RfbGFzdF9uYW1lIiwibGluayI6Im9mZiIsImxpbmtfZGVzdGluYXRpb24iOiJhdXRob3JfYXJjaGl2ZSJ9fQ==@[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.6.3″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”0px||||false|false” custom_padding=”0px||||false|false”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.6.3″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.6.3″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_blurb image=”https:\/\/txnewsroom2020.nextgenradio.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2020\/12\/Daisy_LaurenIban\u0303ez_final.jpg” alt=”Illustration by Lauren Iba\u00f1ez” content_max_width=”100%” _builder_version=”4.6.3″ _module_preset=”default” body_font=”Montserrat||||||||” body_font_size=”14px” body_line_height=”1.2em” text_orientation=”center” custom_margin=”0px||0px||false|false” custom_padding=”||40px||false|false” animation=”off”]<\/p>\n

Illustration by Lauren Iba\u00f1ez<\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_blurb][et_pb_audio audio=”https:\/\/txnewsroom2020.nextgenradio.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2020\/12\/DaisyMaster.mp3″ title=”Listen to Jon-Ross Trevi\u00f1o’s story” artist_name=”Daisy Espinoza” _builder_version=”4.6.3″ _module_preset=”default”][\/et_pb_audio][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.6.3″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.6.3″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.6.3″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”7px|||||”]<\/p>\n

Houston lawyer<\/span> Jon- Ross Trevi\u00f1o<\/span><\/a>, 32, spends his days jumping from Zoom call to phone call with people who are on the brink of losing their homes. He\u2019s struggling to find new ways to build trust with his clients while social distancing.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI feel for the person because of the situation they’re in,\u201d Trevi\u00f1o says.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Before the pandemic, he could look his clients in the eye and listen to their concerns, which he would later reinterpret at court. But now it\u2019s challenging to transmit that same message to a judge who\u2019s tuning in virtually.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s a lot harder. You don’t have those hand gestures,\u201d Trevi\u00f1o says. \u201cI’m in an apartment complex where I don’t want to be yelling and have other people hearing me.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_2,1_2″ _builder_version=”4.6.3″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.6.3″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_blurb image=”https:\/\/txnewsroom2020.nextgenradio.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2020\/12\/Espinoza_Daisy_01.jpg” alt=”Jon-Ross Trevi\u00f1o” _builder_version=”4.6.3″ _module_preset=”default” body_font=”Montserrat||||||||” body_font_size=”14px” body_line_height=”1.2em” text_orientation=”center” custom_margin=”0px||0px||false|false” animation=”off” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n

Jon-Ross Trevi\u00f1o, 32, stands outside the Harris County Civil Courthouse, where he represented clients before the COVID-19 pandemic.\u00a0(<\/span>Photo by Daisy Espinoza)<\/span><\/p>\n

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As an attorney, Trevi\u00f1o feels that his public service is at jeopardy since he\u2019s unable to connect with his clients or the court as he used to before the closure.<\/span><\/p>\n

Houston is the third largest city affected by the eviction crisis, with <\/span>16,917 filings since March 15, 2020<\/span><\/a>. That\u2019s according to the <\/span>Eviction Lab<\/span><\/a> at Princeton University, which tracks 27 cities. Out of those, Houston has the most eviction cases in Texas, surpassing Fort Worth with 8,525 and Austin with 687 cases.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The eviction process can drag out. It begins with Houston renters breaking their lease and landlords giving <\/span>the tenant three days to leave their complex before filing an eviction suit<\/span><\/a>. If the tenant stays, the landlord will wait for a court hearing, which takes at least 10 days to process.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Once the hearing is scheduled, the tenant will be judged and given five days to appeal. Eight days will be added to the timeline if the client decides to appeal, or they\u2019ll receive a 24-hour notice to leave the space before the constable \u201ccomes to a tenant’s house,\u201d giving them a \u201c24-hour notice saying that if you’re not out in 24 hours, [constables] will forcibly remove [them] out,\u201d Trevi\u00f1o says.<\/span><\/p>\n

As an individual, Trevi\u00f1o manages to find energy to work in the same space he sleeps, especially since his bed is five steps from his L-shape desk. He keeps a daily routine that helps him stay on track with his agenda.<\/span><\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.6.3″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.6.3″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.6.3″ _module_preset=”default” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n

\u201c[I] log in about 8:30 a.m., check my emails, respond to anything that’s been outgoing and sometimes that takes to about 11:30,\u201d Trevi\u00f1o says.<\/span><\/p>\n

Trevi\u00f1o will work at his desk until lunch time when he likes to go for a walk around his downtown loft to stretch from his long hours. He remembers being able to distinguish his daily activities. Now, he is eating, sleeping and working from home.<\/span><\/p>\n

In order to keep up his spirits, he remembers his 10-year-old self when his father, Ross Thomas Trevi\u00f1o, 64, told him an old story.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s about two young boys walking along the ocean, and there are starfish as far as the eye can see,\u201d he says.<\/span><\/p>\n

The story depicts two boys at the seashore helping several starfishes find their way back into the ocean. The boys toss one starfish at a time, attempting to help the thousands of starfishes who are stranded at shore. The boys realize they are unable to help them all of the starfish, but at least they can help one. That story resonates with Trevi\u00f1o to this day as he feels the weight of the most vulnerable on his shoulder. <\/span><\/p>\n

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His clients risk losing their homes because they are struggling to stay afloat, because they\u2019ve lost their jobs or had their hours reduced due to the pandemic.<\/span><\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_testimonial author=”Jon-Ross Trevi\u00f1o” portrait_width=”0px” portrait_height=”0px” _builder_version=”4.6.3″ _module_preset=”default” author_text_align=”right” text_orientation=”center” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s very difficult to be a tenant in Houston. I have many clients who are on a fixed income and their rent is almost what their monthly income is.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_testimonial][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.6.3″ _module_preset=”default” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s very difficult to be a tenant in Houston. I have many clients who are on a fixed income and their rent is almost what their monthly income is,\u201d Trevi\u00f1o says.<\/span><\/p>\n

Trevi\u00f1o is conscious that some of the families he is helping barely make enough income to pay for rent. As the holidays approach, Trevi\u00f1o is dealing with the internal pressure as he works long hours to meet deadlines prior to his clients\u2019 court hearings. He\u2019s checking emails, making calls and assisting in cases all while practicing self-care. <\/span><\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.6.3″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_blurb image=”https:\/\/txnewsroom2020.nextgenradio.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2020\/12\/Espinoza_Daisy_02.jpg” alt=”Cindy Trevi\u00f1o (mother, left), Jon-Ross Trevi\u00f1o (center), Megan Trevi\u00f1o (older sister, center), and Ross Trevi\u00f1o (father, right).” content_max_width=”100%” _builder_version=”4.6.3″ _module_preset=”default” body_font=”Montserrat||||||||” body_font_size=”14px” body_line_height=”1.2em” text_orientation=”center” custom_margin=”0px||0px||false|false” animation=”off” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n

Trevi\u00f1o poses with his parents, Cindy (left) and Ross (right), and sister Megan after graduating from Rice University in 2011. He says he cherishes this moment spent with the most influential people in his life. (<\/span>Photo courtesy of <\/span>Jon-Ross Trevi\u00f1o)<\/span><\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_blurb][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_3,2_3″ _builder_version=”4.6.3″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_column type=”1_3″ _builder_version=”4.6.3″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_blurb image=”https:\/\/txnewsroom2020.nextgenradio.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2020\/12\/Espinoza_Daisy_03.jpg” alt=”Jon-Ross Trevi\u00f1o (left) and Amir Befroui (right)” content_max_width=”100%” _builder_version=”4.6.3″ _module_preset=”default” body_font=”Montserrat||||||||” body_font_size=”14px” body_line_height=”1.2em” text_orientation=”center” custom_margin=”0px||0px||false|false” animation=”off” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n

Trevi\u00f1o participates with Amir Befroui at a fair hosted by the Mortgage Lenders Association in 2018. Before the pandemic, Trevi\u00f1o went to events like these to share his services with the shoppers at Shapstown Mall. (Photo courtesy of Jon-Ross Trevi\u00f1o)<\/span><\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_blurb][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”2_3″ _builder_version=”4.6.3″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.6.3″ _module_preset=”default”]<\/p>\n

In his workplace, he hears lots of heart-breaking stories from his clients. He says one of them reached out to<\/span> Lone Star Legal Aid<\/span><\/a> in mid-September after she missed her court date for her eviction case. Trevi\u00f1o says her case was picked up after she was making arrangements with the apartment complex.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Some weeks, Trevi\u00f1o finds himself working on two dozen cases or more. For the past eight months, Trevi\u00f1o has been adjusting his at-home habits to productively work under pressure to assist his clients. He manages a team of six attorneys, each with their own cases, while he talks with about four new clients each week.<\/span><\/p>\n

He says his desire to serve vulnerable members of his community was instilled through his father, who\u2019s been a mentor with the nonprofit Communities in Schools for years. His dad\u2019s example moved him to volunteer with Big Brothers, Big Sisters himself. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI got into this line of work mainly because of my father. He’s one of the most caring, thoughtful individuals that I know,\u201d Trevi\u00f1o says.<\/span><\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.6.3″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.6.3″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_blurb image=”https:\/\/txnewsroom2020.nextgenradio.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2020\/12\/Espinoza_Daisy_04.jpg” alt=”Jon-Ross Trevi\u00f1o” content_max_width=”100%” _builder_version=”4.6.3″ _module_preset=”default” body_font=”Montserrat||||||||” body_font_size=”14px” body_line_height=”1.2em” text_orientation=”center” custom_margin=”0px||0px||false|false” animation=”off” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n

Trevi\u00f1o has not worked in his office since the pandemic. (Photo by Daisy Espinoza)<\/span><\/p>\n

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During the pandemic, lawyer Jon-Ross Trevi\u00f1o has been on the frontlines of Houston\u2019s eviction crisis, trying to to keep residents from going homeless.Illustration by Lauren Iba\u00f1ezHouston lawyer Jon- Ross Trevi\u00f1o, 32, spends his days jumping from Zoom call to phone call with people who are on the brink of losing their homes. He\u2019s struggling to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":404,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"1080","footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"coauthors":[13],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/txnewsroom2020.nextgenradio.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/267"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/txnewsroom2020.nextgenradio.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/txnewsroom2020.nextgenradio.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txnewsroom2020.nextgenradio.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/404"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txnewsroom2020.nextgenradio.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=267"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/txnewsroom2020.nextgenradio.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/267\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/txnewsroom2020.nextgenradio.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=267"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txnewsroom2020.nextgenradio.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=267"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txnewsroom2020.nextgenradio.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=267"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txnewsroom2020.nextgenradio.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=267"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}