Just as we have during Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the BP Oil Spill, the 2016 Louisiana Floods, and other crises, SLLS remains committed to meeting the challenges of COVID-19 by
fighting for the rights and protection of low-income people in our communities. Louisiana and its families have been hit especially hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. As of March 29, 2020, our state has over 3,500 cases of coronavirus. Over 3 out of every 1,000 residents of Orleans Parish has been diagnosed with COVID-19. Outside of New York, New Orleans has the highest per capita rate of COVID-19 in the country.
With schools closed and businesses shuttering doors, many low-income people, already struggling to make ends meet, have lost their jobs or are unable to work. During the week of March 15, 2020, over 70,000 unemployment benefits claims (compared to an average of 1,500 claims per week during normal times) were filed. Our workers, already stressed by concerns of how to keep their families healthy and safe, now have to also worry about whether they can keep a roof over their heads, whether their family will have enough food to eat, and whether they can access the civil justice system to protect them when they most need it.
As we end the week, unfortunately, the toll of the COVID-19 pandemic on our communities only grows. Many now consider New Orleans the coronavirus epicenter of the country. The death rate for coronavirus in Orleans Parish is more than double that of any other county in the United States - including New York. Even after the federal government issued a major disaster declaration for Louisiana, our governor warned that our hospitals are at risk of running out of capacity by the first week of April.
SLLS is dedicated now, it always has been, to fighting for justice for the people we serve. Over the past two weeks, we have been working hard – albeit in different ways – to protect vulnerable people. Thanks to supporters like you, we can continue to provide high-quality legal representation, advocacy, and community education for low-income and vulnerable people in our communities throughout COVID-19 and its long-aftermath. We've included some highlights of this emergency response below.
With the end of this disaster nowhere in sight and with the situation, laws, and policies changing daily, SLLS supporters like you play a vital role in protecting low-income people and ensuring their needs and experiences are heard and considered by policy makers. Your support provides high-quality legal representation to the most vulnerable in our communities - ensuring that they have a safe place to stay, where they can maintain social distancing, and where they know they can access the food, medical care, and other resources they need during this frightening time.
We hope you will considering joining us in this work by making a donation or joining our team of volunteer attorneys, professionals, and law students. You can make a donation online at: https://slls.org/donations/. We've included more information about volunteering below. Thank you for joining us in the fight for fairness. Your role in it is as important now as it ever has been.
To protect the health and safety of our clients, volunteers, and staff, we quickly shifted to providing legal services remotely. To make this transition possible, we quickly purchased new equipment and other technology and redesigned programming to ensure our services remain continuously available to people in need. We are happy to report that we have completed this transition without any break in services for our clients. People wanting to call to connect with their attorneys or to apply for services can call the local SLLS office serving them or apply online. Information for our offices and our online application can be found at slls.org
On 3/25/2020, SLLS launched a COVID-19 Legal Helpline (1-844-244-7871) so people who have legal problems arising from COVID-19 can access the information and legal help they need more easily.
In collaboration with community partners, we are fighting for policy changes to mitigate some of the most dire impacts of the COVID-19 crisis on low-income people. We advocated and achieved moratoria on evictions, foreclosures, and Medicaid terminations throughout our state. We continue fighting for the rights of vulnerable people – particularly people who are homeless, people living with disabilities, and the elderly – to ensure they can stay safely in their homes; can access the unemployment benefits, food stamps, and healthcare benefits they need; and can access the courts for emergencies – like protective orders – to keep their families safe. Thanks to advocacy by SLLS and its partners:
Our attorneys are representing clients to address the serious immediate impacts of this disaster. Here are a few examples:
Our SLLS Pro Bono Program is moving to mobilize volunteer efforts to assist in the response. If you’re interested in joining us in our work to fight for fairness for low-income people, please contact:
Who is protected from eviction and late fees during the COVID-19 Crisis?Evictions are suspended for all tenants in Louisiana until at least June 15, 2020.
You still legally owe rent for this period of time, and you can be evicted for nonpayment when evictions restart. Even though evictions are banned, your landlord can still give you a Notice to Vacate (an eviction notice). However, if you don’t move, your landlord cannot force you to leave because they cannot file a court petition to evict right now.
Some tenants have additional protections. Under the federal stimulus law signed on March 27, 2020, there is a 120-day ban (until July 25th) on evictions for nonpayment, and the charging of late fees, for certain properties:
For these tenants, landlords cannot give you a notice to vacate for nonpayment until after the 120 days. After that they must give you a 30-day notice. If you receive an eviction notice before July 25th and you live in a covered property, you have a right to fight the eviction. Contact the Southeast Louisiana Legal Services COVID-19 Hotline at 1-844-244-7871.
How do I know if my landlord is covered by the 120-day ban?
If you live in government-subsidized housing, “affordable housing,” or housing where your rent changes based on your income, or if you have a Section 8 voucher, you are likely covered. It is harder to find out if your landlord has a federally-backed mortgage, but about 70% of single-family mortgages have federal involvement. You can try to look up whether your landlord has a mortgage in the public records (free in Orleans at http://www.orleanscivilclerk.com/onlinerecords.html). However, whether their loan is covered by the below programs may not be recorded. Your landlord may be able to tell you, and, if not, they can look up whether they have a Fannie/Freddie backed loan at one of these websites:
You can try to call these numbers yourself to find out about the loan (let them know you are a tenant and that you want to know if your landlord’s mortgage is covered by their government program):
Fannie Mae: 1-800-2FANNIE (1-800-232-6643)
Freddie Mac: 1-800-FREDDIE (1-800-373-3343)
Federal Housing Administration (FHA): 1-877-622-8525
Veterans Administration (VA): 1-877-827-3702
Dept. of Agriculture (USDA): 1-800-414-1226
All evictions of tenants with Section 8 vouchers or who live in public housing or other federally-subsidized housing are banned until July 25, 2020 (see first section of this FAQ).
The following Housing Authorities have said they are suspending Section 8 terminations during the COVID-19 crisis: Housing Authority of New Orleans, Housing Authority of Jefferson Parish (does not cover Kenner), St. Bernard Parish Dep’t of Housing, and St. Charles Parish Housing Authority. If a delayed hearing, inspection, or contract signing is causing you serious hardship or homelessness, call the Southeast Louisiana Legal Services COVID-19 Hotline at 1-844-244-7871.
You should pay your rent on time, or try to work out a payment plan with your landlord. Try to get any payment plan in writing. If your rental agreement says you will be charged fees for paying rent late, the landlord might charge you those fees if you do not pay on time. Even though your landlord cannot evict you now, if you don’t make arrangements to pay the rent and fees your landlord could evict you when courts reopen.
Under the federal stimulus law (“CARES” Act) signed on March 27, 2020, many taxpayers will receive a check for around $1,200, plus $500 per minor child, in the coming weeks.
If you live in the City of New Orleans, you rent from a private landlord, and you do not have a housing subsidy: You might qualify for rental assistance. Call the City of N.O. Office of Community Development at 504-658-4200.
If you lost income and live in Section 8, public, or other subsidized housing where your rent is based on your income, report any income loss right away. If the office is closed, try to email, text, or mail notice to your caseworker or landlord.** Keep a copy of any notice you sent for your records. Give notice even if you do not yet have all the documents they might need. Your rent should be reduced the first day of the month after you report a loss of income. Even if they are not able process your rent reduction now, timely reporting will affect the amount you owe later once they do process the change. If your landlord or the Housing Authority fails or refuses to reduce your rent, talk to an attorney. You can apply for free legal help by calling the Southeast Louisiana Legal Services COVID-19 Hotline at 1-844-244-7871.
** If you are a HANO Section 8 voucher holder, you can complete a self-certification form about your income loss available at http://www.hano.org/Tenants/Forms, and email it to hcvpinfo@hano.org. If you have trouble reaching your worker, you can call (504) 670-3295.
It is very important that if you start getting new income, like unemployment benefits, that you report it and keep a record of reporting it.
It is illegal for your landlord to lock you out, throw your belongings out, or cut off your utilities without going through the court eviction process. Your landlord must get a court order to evict you. If your landlord is trying to physically remove you or your belongings from your home, you can call the police if you feel comfortable. The police should tell your landlord to stop. If your landlord tries to evict you without a court judgment, or to force you out by doing other things, seek the advice of an attorney immediately. You can apply for legal help by calling the Southeast Louisiana Legal Services COVID-19 Hotline at 1-844-244-7871.
If this happens, to you, seek the advice of an attorney immediately. You can apply for free legal help by calling the Southeast Louisiana Legal Services COVID-19 Hotline at 1-844-244-7871.
If you call the COVID-19 Hotline please leave a message.
Here are other numbers you can try if you have an emergency and do not receive a call back within 24 hours:
covidhousing@slls.org
New Orleans area: 1-504-529-1000 x.223 (leave a message)
Baton Rouge area: 1-225-448-0080
Houma area: 1-985-851-5687
Hammond area: 1-985-345-2130
For a printable version of the flowchart, click here.