Southeast Louisiana Legal Services (SLLS)

Since 1979, offers free civil legal, advocacy and community education in 22 parishes from 6 offices. Largest provider of free civil legal aid in Louisiana.
Organization website

Primary geographic focus: Louisiana
Organization type(s): Provider
Acronym or short name: SLLS
Lists: LSC

SLLS is Louisiana’s largest provider of free civil legal aid.

SLLS serves half of Louisiana’s low-income people. In many areas of our 22-parish service area SLLS is the only organization that can help. In 2015 SLLS helped more than 26,000 people, with an economic impact of more than $17.5 million. For our clients, having an SLLS lawyer can prevent loss of family, food, shelter, income, medical care, or personal safety.

SLLS began in 1979 with a grant from the Legal Services Corporation. Back then, SLLS gave legal help to poor people in five north shore parishes. In 2003 SLLS merged with New Orleans Legal Assistance Corporation, which served the greater New Orleans area since 1967. The service area grew to 10 Louisiana Parishes. In recent years SLLS more than doubled its footprint with 12 new parishes. The program now serves greater Baton Rouge, Houma and their adjacent communities. SLLS spreads its reach even further through programs like medical-legal partnerships in community health clinics, on site legal services at community colleges, services offered through homeless assistance centers, and services linked to domestic violence shelters.

SLLS received the inaugural Innovation in Civil Legal Services Delivery Award in 2015, conferred by the Access to Justice Committee of the Louisiana State Bar Association. Our sustained excellence earned SLLS the 2015 A.P. Tureaud Award from the Louis A. Martinet Legal Society, Inc. (Baton Rouge).

CONTENT MENTIONING/INVOLVING THIS SOURCE

News Story

Baton Rouge Area Foundation offers program to help disaster relief

Christopher Mobley
Louisiana Record
January 20, 2017
After the disastrous flooding last August in Louisiana, more than 2,500 victims were denied relief by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, according to a news release.

News Story

American Can’s low-income residents to be evicted, but granted until October to clear out

Chad Calder
Advocate (Baton Rouge, LA)
February 1, 2017
Wednesday's announcement gives the affected tenants seven more months to find somewhere else to live, as well as access to housing counselors and a relocation stipend.

News Story

Legal aid for Louisiana poor on chopping block in Trump’s budget

Richard Rainey
Times-Picayune (New Orleans, LA)
April 3, 2017
For one of the most impoverished states in the country, President Donald Trump's budget proposal could put even greater distance between a lawyer and Louisiana's poor.

News Story

Trump wants to cut off poor people’s legal lifeline

Bryce Covert
ThinkProgress
April 6, 2017
Without legal aid, there will be little assistance for those facing eviction, domestic violence, or huge amounts of debt.

Feature

Making the Right Connections

Katy Reckdahl
Shelterforce
April 21, 2017
A health center in New Orleans has partnered with a legal services agency to better help patients by addressing the social determinants of health. This “medical-legal partnership” is part of a growing trend that’s taking place across the nation.

Feature

Attorney for beleagured New Orleans renters fights uphill battle

Kevin Litten
Times-Picayune (New Orleans, LA)
April 21, 2017
Adams is one of just a few advocates in New Orleans who sees the squalor many New Orleans residents live in every day.

Interview

SLLS executive director says legal help is an ‘often overlooked solution’ for homeless veterans

Angela Underwood
Louisiana Record
March 21, 2018
Veterans accounted for around 10 percent of all homeless individuals in Louisiana, according to 2016 data from an annual Housing Urban Development (HUD) report.

Letter to Editor

Many veterans need legal help but can’t afford it

Laura Tuggle
Times-Picayune (New Orleans, LA)
July 6, 2018
The most popular answer from veterans around the country, including here in Louisiana, may surprise you: They need civil legal aid. They asked for lawyers to help resolve court fines, prevent eviction, restore suspended driver's licenses and handle child support issues.

News Story

Hurricane Florence Threatens Property Ties in Carolina’s Lowcountry

Laura Bliss
CityLab
September 15, 2018
Thousands of acres throughout the flooded Carolinas are heir’s property, a form of land ownership that leaves residents vulnerable to speculators.

News Story

In Louisiana civil courts, the poor are left to defend themselves

Richard A. Webster
Times-Picayune (New Orleans, LA)
March 14, 2019
Southeast Louisiana Legal Services – a nonprofit that provides free legal representation in 22 parishes, including Orleans – does what it can to fill the gap and meet the substantial demand, but it does so with limited resources.

News Story

Louisiana approves money for civil legal aid, joining most other U.S. states

Richard A. Webster
Times-Picayune (New Orleans, LA)
June 17, 2019
Louisiana will soon join most states in the nation in helping pay for legal assistance for some of its most vulnerable residents, as Gov. John Bel Edwards’ office said he plans to sign a bill that includes $500,000 for the effort.

News Story

Torch, radio…house deeds? U.S. readies for hurricane season

Carey L. Biron
Reuters News Service
July 17, 2019
Torch, radio, whistle - all standard fare in a storm survival kit. Now Americans at risk of hurricane damage are being urged to grab their house deeds and check they are valid, too.

News Story

Why A Post-Disaster Rule For Pro Bono Aid Isn’t For Everyone

Emma Cueto
Law360
October 28, 2019
When Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans in 2005, legal aid provider Southeast Louisiana Legal Services knew that people in its community would need its help with everything from disputes with landlords to appeals of insurance claim decisions.

Audio

Law and Disorder: Climate Change in the Courts

Greg Dalton
Climate One
October 18, 2019
The increase in weather-driven disasters over the past few years has given rise to a whole new branch of legalese, known as “Disaster Law.” Laura Tuggle of Southeast Louisiana Legal Services helps disaster survivors navigate the muddy waters of federal relief, insurance claims and inheritance rights.

News Story

In Baton Rouge area, coronavirus job losses might result in rental, homeowner crisis

Terry Jones
Advocate (Baton Rouge, LA)
March 23, 2020

News Story

New Orleans renters, jobless due to coronavirus, face first of the month: ‘It’s a grim situation’

Chad Calder
Times-Picayune (New Orleans, LA)
March 29, 2020

News Story

Eviction warning amid coronavirus crisis draws outrage in New Orleans: ‘People need help, not harm’

Times-Picayune (New Orleans, LA)
March 18, 2020

News Story

Coronavirus could overwhelm legal help for America’s poor

Todd Ruger
Roll Call
March 31, 2020

Podcast Interview with Ranie Thompson, JD – Director of CrescentCare Legal Services in Louisiana

Dr. Nicholas Van Sickels
CrescentCare Public Updates
March 31, 2020

News Story

From canceled events to sick days, coronavirus leaves New Orleans hospitality workers vulnerable

Times-Picayune (New Orleans, LA)
March 12, 2020

News Story

The Fiscal Crisis Coming For Legal Aid

Jack Karp
Law360
April 12, 2020

News Story

Renters Are Being Forced From Their Homes Despite Eviction Moratoriums Meant to Protect Them

Alana Semuels
Time
April 15, 2020

Audio , Interview , News Story

COVID-19 Has Created A Legal Aid Crisis. FEMA’s Usual Response Is Missing

Rebecca Hersher
National Public Radio (NPR)
May 11, 2020

Television News

NBC Nightly News: Expiration of CARES Act eviction program may have disproportionate toll on minorities

NBC Nightly News
July 24, 2020

News Story

Wave of evictions expected as moratoriums end in many states

Associated Press (AP)
August 4, 2020

News Story

Domestic Violence, Eviction, Finances Drive Virus Legal Aid Rise

Melissa Heelan Stanzione
Bloomberg Law
July 24, 2020

News Story

New Orleans Braces for Evictions as Renters Fall Behind, Belongings Pile Up on Streets

Will Parker
Wall Street Journal (WSJ)
August 24, 2020

News Story

Despite federal ban, renters still being evicted amid virus

Associated Press (AP)
November 29, 2020

Column

The coronavirus took her mother. Now this woman, like millions of others, fears she’ll be evicted.

Joe Davidson
Washington Post
December 11, 2020

News Story

Eviction looms for millions, despite new federal aid package

Elaine Povich
Stateline, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
December 23, 2020
Thirty-five percent of the households behind on rent or mortgages believe they will be evicted or foreclosed on in the next two months, according to the Census Bureau.

Investigative

Americans were told to stay home. Black women are most at risk of losing theirs.

Chabeli Carrazana, Ko Bragg
The 19th
December 21, 2020
Despite federal eviction moratoriums, Black women are most at risk of losing their housing during the pandemic.

News Story

Low-income housing advocates demand stop to American Can evictions

Katherine Sayre
Times-Picayune (New Orleans, LA)
December 22, 2016
New Orleans housing advocates called Thursday (Dec. 22) for a real estate developer to stop evicting low-income renters at the American Can Co. apartment building in Mid-City.

News Story

Low-income residents being ousted from New Orleans’ American Can Co. affordable-housing complex

Katherine Sayre
Times-Picayune (New Orleans, LA)
December 20, 2016
With the complex's affordable-housing agreement set to expire in January, Esnault and dozens of other residents have been told to clear out.

News Story

From boots on the ground to suits on the ground, flood relief now revolves around clearing titles for lower-income residents

Steve Hardy
Advocate (Baton Rouge, LA)
November 30, 2016
Thousands of flooded families across the Baton Rouge area are getting hung up on legal technicalities before they can even submit an application to receive their federal assistance.

Audio , Interview

Louisiana Residents Request Free Legal Aid In Flood Recovery Efforts

Ari Shapiro
National Public Radio (NPR)
November 2, 2016
In the two months since historic floods hit the greater Baton Rouge, La., area, recovery has begun. There has also been an increase in requests for free legal aid.

News Story

The Waters Have Receded From Baton Rouge. Now Comes The Hard Part.

Bryce Covert
ThinkProgress
August 31, 2016
Even though the water receded only a few days after the storm hit, some of the biggest problems for the area are only just beginning.

News Story

After Baton Rouge Flooding, Learning Lessons From New Orleans

Campbell Robertson, Alan Blinder
New York Times (NYT)
August 22, 2016
Those lessons include how to get money most efficiently from the federal government and ways to avoid leaving thousands of people for years in temporary shelters, like the notorious Federal Emergency Management Agency trailers, as the rebuilding proceeds.

News Story

Zika could hit people in poverty hardest

Liz Szabo
USA Today
July 2, 2016
If Zika spreads in the United States, Americans who live in substandard housing and neglected neighborhoods could face the greatest danger, particularly along the Gulf Coast.

Feature

Medicaid expands, ERs brace, Ernest Burrell prays

Richard Rainey
Times-Picayune (New Orleans, LA)
June 10, 2016
In days, Louisiana will become the 31st state -- the first in the Deep South -- to expand its Medicaid program to insure residents with yearly incomes below 138 percent of the federal poverty line.

News Story

New Orleans apartments tried to evict domestic violence victim

Richard A. Webster
Times-Picayune (New Orleans, LA)
October 27, 2015
For the first time, a new Louisiana law has been used to protect a survivor from losing her home based on violence against her.

News Story

These New Orleans Residents Are Still Trying To Go Home

Bryce Covert
ThinkProgress
August 29, 2015
In the decade after Katrina, many residents have rebuilt destroyed homes; others have decided to relocate elsewhere. Yet there are still plenty of people who are still trying to return home.

Blog Post

Civil Legal Aid Must Play a Larger Role in Disaster Recovery

Laura Tuggle
TalkPoverty.org
August 27, 2015
Civil legal aid is an underappreciated model for how we should react to future disasters.

Op-Ed

After a Disaster Like Katrina, Water, Food, and Shelter Are Not Enough

Laura Tuggle
Nation, The
August 27, 2015
Providing access to expert civil legal help is absolutely essential to rebuilding communities and lives after a disaster.

Feature

A Rental Named Desire

Catherine Dunn
International Business Times (IB Times)
August 27, 2015
When the levees broke, the floodwaters stripped away much of New Orleans' most affordable rental housing. A decade later, people like Desi Grimes are still struggling to find a home.

News Story