March 2021 Newsletter

Posted on: March 31, 2021
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From the Executive Director

It is hard to believe ta year has passed since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. We have not seen a period of sustained crisis like this since Hurricane Katrina and we know it is still far from over. Our clients are still struggling, with our caseload still increasing, yet the outlook is far from hopeless. As challenging as navigating the pandemic has been, we have been able to continue to provide exceptional service to our clients. Our legal advocacy wins have achieve impacts far beyond individual clients served. Our direct casework helped obtain or preserve over $22 million in benefits for our clients. We’ve innovated our outreach delivery to reach more people in safe ways with in-person outreach resuming in April 2021 with strict adherence to COVID protocols. 

 

Thank you for your continued support in the fight for fairness.

 

Laura Tuggle

Executive Director

SLLS Clients and Staff Featured in TIME Documentary

New Orleans based filmmaker Kathleen Flynn followed two SLLS clients, Ronda Favre and Dominique King, both African-American single mothers who lost their jobs in the hospitality industry, as they faced the dire prospect of being evicted in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. Their SLLS Attorneys, Hannah Adams and Alexis Erkert, are also featured in the piece, highlighting the uphill battle our attorneys have faced trying to keep families in their homes and the disproportionate impact on women of color during the pandemic. 

Looking Back at SLLS COVID-19 Response

 
 

Our online outreach has been hugely successful in connecting the community with the resources they need. We had over 25,000 Facebook Live views and nearly a million views on our website. 

 
 

Our COVID-19 hotline has received over 15,000 calls, and streamlined our processes to make it easier for clients to get the help that they need in a crisis. 

 
 

As a result of our advocacy to keep our clients safe from COVID-19 exposure, several courts modified their processes for remote hearings and ADA accommodations.

 
 

At the start of the pandemic, Jefferson Parish Juvenile Court stopped hearing child abuse cases, leaving vulnerable children at serious risk of abuse and neglect. SLLS successfully advocated to the LA Supreme Court for these critical hearings resume. 

For Our Clients, The Crisis is Far From Over

 
 
 
 

Nearly a year into the COVID-19 pandemic, we're still seeing huge increases in the need for legal services. We've seen an over 2000% increase in unemployment compensation cases compared to the two months prior to the outbreak and despite the CDC eviction moratorium and rental assistance programs, families are still at-risk of becoming homeless as a result of eviction.

Coming Soon!

 

Give NOLA Day - May 4, 2021

 

All funds raised will support our ongoing COVID-19 Legal Relief Efforts.

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