Tag: Disaster Recovery | Voices for Civil Justice

They lost homes in Hurricane Maria, but didn’t have deeds. FEMA rejected their claims.

Feature (Puerto Rico)

They lost homes in Hurricane Maria, but didn’t have deeds. FEMA rejected their claims.

September 20, 2018 | Andres Viglucci | Miami Herald
The overriding reason: agency regulations and policies that require recipients of assistance to prove they own and occupy the damaged dwellings.
Tags: Disaster Recovery | Housing: Title

Hurricane Florence Threatens Property Ties in Carolina’s Lowcountry

News Story (North Carolina, South Carolina)

Hurricane Florence Threatens Property Ties in Carolina’s Lowcountry

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

Relief for Hurricane Harvey Survivors

Letter to Editor (Texas)

Relief for Hurricane Harvey Survivors

September 12, 2018 | Saundra Brown | New York Times (NYT)
A legal advocate discusses the obstacles posed by FEMA.
Tags: Disaster Recovery

By All Appearances, They Overcame Hurricane Harvey. Appearances Are Deceiving.

News Story (Texas)

By All Appearances, They Overcame Hurricane Harvey. Appearances Are Deceiving.

September 6, 2018 | Jack Healy | New York Times (NYT)
Now, mortgage delinquency and foreclosure rates are edging higher around Houston, according to real estate and legal aid groups.
Tags: Disaster Recovery

FEMA has either denied or not approved most appeals for housing aid in Puerto Rico

News Story (Puerto Rico)

FEMA has either denied or not approved most appeals for housing aid in Puerto Rico

July 17, 2018 | Nicole Acevedo | NBC News
"The truth is that we’re here because this is ours," said a frustrated resident who is still missing part of his roof.
Tags: Disaster Recovery

After Storm, Foreclosures in Puerto Rico Stopped. They’re Starting Again.

News Story (Puerto Rico)

After Storm, Foreclosures in Puerto Rico Stopped. They’re Starting Again.

July 15, 2018 | Matthew Goldstein | New York Times (NYT)
Island residents who fell behind on their payments are facing creditors ranging from Wall Street to the federal government. Over the last four months, nearly 300 new foreclosure actions were filed in federal court in San Juan and in local courts across the island.
Tags: Disaster Recovery | Housing: Foreclosure

Meeting the Challenge of the Legal Aid Crisis

Op-Ed (NATIONAL)

Meeting the Challenge of the Legal Aid Crisis

May 4, 2018 | John G. Levi , Ken Frazier , Harriet Miers | National Law Journal
The opioid crisis and the recent spate of natural disasters present new challenges to already overburdened civil legal aid providers.
Tags: Disaster Recovery | Opioid Crisis