In July 2023, the voice on the phone was one of warmth but utter despair: "Oh, honey, our organization cannot possibly afford to pay your fees." I had just spent 30 minutes speaking with the loveliest of humans, a pastor who directs a 14-person women's facility in Philadelphia providing temporary housing to women in transition. The pastor, who I will refer to as "Jo," explained that the agency administering her facility's license discovered a discrepancy in the city's permitting files. Frustratingly, the facility was approved under the pre-2012 Zoning Code, and Jo's prior nonlawyer permit consultant inadvertently excluded a piece of the facility's occupancy from the original occupancy approval. The facility would now require a special exception from the Philadelphia Zoning Board of Adjustment to re-affirm the longstanding use of the facility as "group living" and a variance for insufficient parking on-site.