2017 NLADA Annual Conference

The legal problems faced by poor and low-income households are often multifaceted. The systemic issues our clients face often require a think-outside-the-box approach to solve them. Nowhere is this more evident than in the realm of housing advocacy. Housing insecurity for poor and low-income communities has reached epic proportions across the country. In many regions, households classified as extremely low-income are paying more than half of their monthly income in rent. This leaves many families with the Hobson’s choice of either securing a roof over their heads or paying for other essential needs such as food, medicine, and transportation. It is well documented that displacement from housing can have a profound negative impact on an individual’s life – from physical and mental health to creating additional barriers to job opportunities and educational prospects. Solutions to the affordable housing crisis require a holistic approach that aims to not only create and preserve affordable housing but also to respond holistically to our clients’ diverse and unique physical, emotional, and financial needs. Using the experiences of advocates in Los Angeles as a case study, this workshop will explore the ways in which legal services programs can tap into the diverse legal expertise of their staff, as well as work with partner agencies and community groups, to find innovative solutions to systemic problems. The panel will highlight the affordable housing preservation efforts by the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles (LAFLA) in partnering with other legal services, community organizers, resident groups, and service providers to stabilize neighborhoods faced with the prospect of losing affordable units in a variety of subsidized housing programs such as HUD Section 8, Low-Income Housing Tax Credit properties, and buildings subject to state and local ordinances, such as rent control.