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Southeast Louisiana Legal Services 2017 Annual Report

Stories Behind the Numbers

SLLS Protects Vulnerable Residents from Mass
Eviction
At Christmas time in 2016, 53 low-income tenants of the
American Can Apartments building received eviction notices.
Residents were informed they would be evicted by January
2017. Dozens of families faced losing their affordable housing
as the owner phased out all low-income units and raised
rents. Many were elderly or disabled residents. For Vietnam
(Pictured above: Mr. Michael Esnault at veteran Michael Esnault and his partner Anne Tucker who
his apartment)
had lived in the American Can Apartments building the past 6 years, this felt like a betrayal. “(It’s) definitely
a slap in the face,” Esnault told WWLTV in an interview. “I always paid the bills on time and everything
else.” Mr. Esnault called on SLLS for help. SLLS attorney Hannah Adams jumped into action. SLLS and its
partner the Greater New Orleans Fair Housing Action Center (GNOFHAC) sent a letter demanding that the
owner immediately cease and desist from evicting low-income tenants. “We always have a concern when a
mass eviction is happening that primarily affects say, people with disabilities or other group that may be
protected under civil rights law,” Adams said. Following negotiations, the owner agreed to extend the lease
termination date from January 31, 2017 to October 31, 2017, to provide housing counseling to help the
tenants locate other housing, and to cover relocation costs. Our work resulted in the vulnerable tenants at
the American Can Apartments having sufficient time and resources to locate alternative housing while
exposing a systemic problem with expiring rent subsidies.

Helping Flood Survivors Recover
Since losing her husband many years ago, Mrs. P. had
increasingly relied on family members to help her handle
her affairs. At 96 years old, she could no longer manage
everything on her own, though she still lived in her own
home in rural Ascension Parish outside of Baton Rouge.
She executed a power of attorney to her daughter to make
life a bit easier.

Her life was upended when her home was flooded in
August 2016. Mrs. P.’s daughter tried to handle filing a FEMA claim for her mom. She was denied when
FEMA could not match up proof of ownership. Utility bills were no longer in Mrs. P.’s name as she had
changed things to her daughter’s name. It seemed to FEMA that Mrs. P. did not live there. She learned
about SLLS from her Disaster Case Manager. We worked with Mrs. P. and her daughter to submit a FEMA
appeal. SLLS used court records and other legal documents to prove ownership. FEMA overturned its
decisions and approved Mrs. P. for home repair assistance in the amount of $15,590.23. This approval also
cleared the way for Mrs. P. to be approved for temporary housing assistance while her home was being
repaired. Now Mrs. P is back in her home with peace of mind since she can leave her home to future
generations

2017 Annual Report