Mr. and Mrs. Trahan lived with Mrs. Trahan’s mother in north Baton Rouge. In 2015, they inherited the house after Mrs. Trahan’s mother passed away. Although they managed to survive on a small income from Mr. Trahan’s disability benefits and Mrs. Trahan’s part-time job, they lived check-to-check and were unable to put much into savings. Tragically, Mr. and Mrs. Trahan’s house was among the +60,000 houses destroyed by the 2016 Louisiana Floods. Fortunately, they were safe but they had no savings to help them rebuild. The Trahans received short-term temporary FEMA rental assistance but on their limited income, and still needing to pay monthly mortgage payments on their home, they struggled to keep their home out of foreclosure.
To make the situation worse, the flood insurance company refused to release the flood proceeds until a succession was completed for Mrs. Trahan’s mother. Then, FEMA denied an extension of their temporary rental assistance. The Trahans felt lost. If they lost both their temporary and permanent housing, they would have nowhere to turn and end up on the streets. Luckily, they were referred to the Flood Proof Project for legal help where an SLLS attorney quickly jumped into action.
We began working on the succession right away and got some of the other heirs to donate their interest in the home to help the couple concentrate title. Then, we got FEMA to overturn its decision to deny the couples extension for temporary rental assistance. Additionally, we negotiated with their mortgage and insurance companies to assert the Trahan’s legal rights as an heir to the property. In the end, the couple was approved to take over the mortgage and modify their loan payments after the succession was completed. While the Restore Louisiana program has yet to give the Trahan’s additional funding to rebuild, all of their legal problems were resolved and given them a little more peace of mind.
Juliana StricklenJuliana serves as the Volunteer Coordinator at SLLS. She believes that every hurdle in the justice system demands bold actions. She is an artistic person who is passionate about economic development and language access.
Throughout her 11-month service term at SLLS, Juliana hopes to recruit a dynamic pool of volunteers that are eager to join the fight for fairness in the justice system. Additionally, she hopes to learn more about career opportunities in the legal field. As a member of Serve Louisiana, Louisiana’s longest-running AmeriCorps program, Juliana plans to affect long-standing systemic barriers to justice through community engagement and collaboration.
Prior to SLLS, Juliana worked as a Coordinator for the New Orleans Interfaith Sanctuary Coalition in New Orleans, La., as well as the Interview Coordinator and a DJ for WTUL New Orleans. Her desire to give back to the community and help low-income families receive civil legal aid drove her to SLLS. Her efforts at SLLS have become an integral part of the office and we are thankful to have her onboard.
Keoni BermoyKeoni serves as the Strategic Communications Coordinator at SLLS. He believes that everyone deserves the right to receive easily-accessible legal services in the justice system. He is a driven, young professional who is passionate about mental health and wellness education, as well as protecting the rights of domestic violence victims.
As a member of Serve Louisiana, Louisiana’s longest-running AmeriCorps program, Keoni is given the opportunity to address a variety of social issues and affect true, long-term change in the community. During his 11-month service term, Keoni hopes to give a voice to special populations (e.g. homeless, disabled, disaster victims, and the elderly) and inspire others to help those individuals meet life’s most basic needs – food, housing, shelter and safety.
Keoni is a graduate of The University of Alabama. Prior to SLLS, he worked as an Account Services intern at DVL Seigenthaler, a Finn Partners Company, in Nashville, Tenn. His passion for social justice led him to the Orleans office, and he has quickly become a vital asset to the team.
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Thanks to federal funding from the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), AmeriCorps programs like Serve Louisiana engages more than 75,000 members annually in intensive service with a community-based organization, such as Southeast Louisiana Legal Services, to deliver real impact where it’s needed most.
About Serve Louisiana
AmeriCorps is a program of the Corporation for National and Community Service, a federal agency that engages more than 5 million Americans in service through its Americorps, Senior Corps, Social Innovation Fund, and Volunteer Generation Fund programs, and leads the President’s national call to service initiative, United We Serve. Since 1994, more than 980,000 Americans have provided more than 1.2 billion hours of service to their communities, and country, through AmeriCorps. For more information about AmeriCorps, please visit NationalService.gov. For more information about Serve Louisiana, please visit ServeLouisiana.org.
Every year, we reflect back on what a difference supporters like you make in the daily lives of the people and communities SLLS serves. During our 50th Anniversary Year, ensuring that civil legal aid remains available to people at the times in their lives when they need help the most is paramount in all of our minds. Your support helps make the dream of equal justice for all a reality. We are grateful for all you do to help us fight for fairness for vulnerable families. Please check out our most recent annual report at: http://anyflip.com/yypr/