Southeast Louisiana Legal Services (SLLS) told online legal news service Louisiana Record this week that it expects a “tsunami” of EVICTIONS around Labor Day.as tenants who have lost their jobs as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic are no longer able to pay their rent since the federal CARES Act expired on July 25.
Congress, in it typical way of addressing a crisis head-on, allowed the CARES Act to expire and then they went on summer vacation – vacations their constituents could not afford.
Louisiana landlords have been able to file 30day eviction notices in court to get tenants evicted from rental units, according to Laura Tuggle, executive director of SLLS,
Federal law protected half of Louisiana’s tenants from evictions since the COVID shutdown but with federal protection now lost, eviction notices are on the rise and SLLS has experienced a 300 percent increase in people seeking assistance with evictions. Under Louisiana law, sheriffs can lock tenants out of their apartments or houses within about 40 days of the court filing.
“We’re bracing ourselves for a tidal wave or a tsunami – whatever you want to call it,” Tuggle told LOUISIANA RECORD.
Last week, I was paired with conservative Republican Scott Wilfong on the Jim Engster Show (you can hear the entire show by clicking HERE). (That’s me, arms crossed in the red Hawaiian shirt and “Nope” Trump mask and Wilfong in his tacky “Make America Great” or “Keep America Great” – or maybe it was “Grated” – mask on the left).
Besides minimizing the number of coronavirus deaths by noting that the then-total of some 150,000 was such a small percentage of the population as to be statistically insignificant, Wilfong also appeared amused that at the recent Republican confab Lenar Whitney was elected Louisiana National Committeewoman by a single vote – but that only 140 people participated while 141 votes were cast.
I couldn’t help thinking that had that occurred in a Democratic event, like say, the Iowa Caucus, the Repugnicans would’ve been all over that like white on rice. Oh, wait. They were. But to Mr. Wilfong, it was amusing.
What was not amusing to Wilfong, however (besides his assertion on the show that Hillary Clinton had an ambassador murdered and that that Dr. Anthony Fauci is an atheist – as if that somehow renders his qualifications as an epidemiologist null and void – was the idea of an eviction moratorium for those landlords wanting to kick families to the curb.
His complaints about the inability to evict tenants were restricted to off-microphone conversation but basically, he said he was a landlord himself and the system was patently unfair to him. “I have a mortgage and my banker expects payment,” he said. So, how is it fair to say he can’t evict his tenants when they can’t pay the rent?
As best I understood him, he apparently can’t make his mortgage payments because his tenants lost their jobs, their health insurance and they’re unable to pay their rent, pay utilities or buy food because they have no income.
So, again, as best I can grasp what Scott was trying to say, his problem will be solved if he kicks his tenants out, leaving them homeless.
But wait. Doesn’t he still have an empty apartment/rent house? People aren’t exactly lining up to move in because others out there don’t have jobs or health insurance and they can’t afford food, much less rent, either.
Seems to me he’s only added to the growing homelessness problem.
But that seems to be the Repugnican way.
Louisiana Voice 
Cruel and Punitive is the Republican way.
I think this has been the most disheartening fact that I have had to face….the folks that I live among are mostly Republican and they gleefully clap and cheer the most cruel and punitive Republican acts….what other conclusion to draw than that they are cruel people?
There is a word for people who are cruel and have no regard for the feelings and well being of others: SOCIOPATH.
Guess there’s more of them than we realized.
I didn’t hear the entire program but was tuned in when he talked about Fauci being atheist. That pissed me off more than anything else. Even if he is atheist what does that have to do with his job performance? I wanted to call in and ask him if it is his religion that is responsible for him being a douche bag but I’m sure that Jim would have cut me off.
“There is a deep void in the GOP, a black hole that sucks in all reason and morality, justice and equality, until all that’s left is a singularity of blind, ignorant hatred, where nothing escapes, not even reality.”
A comment today on Twitter
Well, our democrat governor could step up and do something. But he won’t.
A law could be passed to extend house notes by simply adding months to the end of the note. Can’t do that with rent.
And landlords who are not collecting rents must pay their notes or lose their property – where is that money going to come from ? Do you think the landlord should provide free housing ? Do you think government should pay people’s rent (a la Section 8) ? Should government pay notes on property ? Mr. Tuggle, don’t you think the tenants should have taken it upon themselves to work something out with their landlord ? I know several democrat landlords and I can tell you they are not happy with no rent and no evictions. Do you think the democrat politicians care about homeless people ? Look at Maxine Waters, Eric Swalwell, Nancy Pelosi districts – full of homeless and not one thing being done to alleviate issue.
That is reality and does not make one a “sociopath”. Evidently, some of you think it is the responsibility of the government to take care of every possible outcome in life. Well, government only has the money it takes from you or the bad money it prints (like Nancy Pelosi’s $3 Trillion wish list) and even that has a limit.
I would love to hear what your solution is because the various Governors of this great land have shut down our economy and cost a lot of people their jobs and business without considering impact. Note that government employees receive full pay even while not at work and are not docked leave or vacation. This Covid 19 s serious virus , but with a death rate of .003%, perhaps we could have done what some countries did; protect the elderly and vulnerable (weakened immunity systems) and allowed everyone else to go about their business.
Yes, some would get virus, but death would be unlikely (like the flu). In case you are unaware, approximately 7,000 Americans die every day. Some from illness, some suicide, some car accidents, some old age, some are killed, but the point is, few (by percentage die from Covid). And just so you are aware, about 3,000 babies are butchered via abortion EVERY DAY, and that does not figure into the daily death toll.
What we have now is a mess created by politics that will not be resolved by politics. This is not a republican or democrat issue. And to call only republicans sociopath is just plain idiotic. So Mr. Sachs, Edith and Earth, who exactly are the cruel and sociopath people, because it would appear to be a rather wide net by your standards.
Ms. Zoe…just a couple of thoughts on your well written response.
The Louisiana Senate is 69% Republican and the House of Representatives is 65% Republican. I am sure if the law you suggest were passed the Governor would sign it. You say “don’t you think the tenants should have taken it upon themselves to work something out with their landlord?” Well maybe the landlord’s could work something out with their mortgage holders.
Regarding abortions, you are correct. One is too many as far as many of us are concerned. Since 1996 the number has gone down by 27%. Whether or not you agree with it, it is elective. The coronavirus is not. It is on the rise and no one seems to be safe from it. It is now classified as the third leading cause of death behind cancer and heart disease. Going up, up, up. No central leadership at all. reprehensible misinformation from tRump. And you say “protect the elderly and vulnerable (weakened immunity systems) and allowed (sic) everyone else to go about their business.” In other words, let the virus cases increase until possibly millions of Americans die? Let it work itself out of the system? I am not implying that this is being a sociopath, but I will say that this is the thinking of the president and his Republican politicians. Idiotic? Cruel? Yes, and they have made it a Republican issue. Sixteen out of the seventeen states that have no mask requirement are led by Republicans. Not enough room to go on further, but I’m sure you get the point I’m making.
My dear CJG; my comment was based upon what the nations of Netherlands and Norway did. It has appeared to be an effective way to deal with this plague. I see you have deemed those people cruel, idiotic and republican. I also note you state that 16 of the states with no mask requirement are republican. What you did not say is that “blue” states seem to have a higher infection and death rate than “red” states. You might blame that on politics. I place blame on things like hygiene, and lack of social distancing (and some incompetent Governors like Cuomo who ordered nursing homes to accept Covid positive guests).
You seem to think wearing a mask will make one invulnerable to this virus. It will not. Fauci has been caught without a mask in public numerous times so it is apparent that he knows it means little.
And those same “blue” states have the highest abortion numbers. I would submit that murder is tolerated as a type of death but dying in lesser numbers of a virus is not to be tolerated ? No other logic may be applied.
This is America, and the states have the power to open or close country down, not the President. I am sure you heard today that “Sleepy Joe” said were he in charge, he would work on a vaccine. Damn, why didn’t Trump think of that ? Joe is about 10 steps behind the rest of the world.
As for our Governor, he is our state leader, regardless of the composition of the Legislature. He certainly has the power to call for a Special Session of Legislature and even dictate the subject. He could suggest a possible solution. But he won’t.
As for the rent/mortgage system; The Governor (so could the Congress) could help with both by buying time for mortgage holders, they in turn could work with tenants. But again, why should these people wait knowing full well the rent is due ? That is like spending your money on beer and than complaining you have no money for food.
I do not choose to make this a political issue, but it is an American issue. All solutions from democrats seem to me to be divisive ie. cruel (republican) landlords and poor democrat tenants., Read Earthmother’s quote again. If you delete GOP and insert Democrat, a similar number of people would agree. This is the divisive attitude I am referring to. I dislike being stereotyped like that as I am sure you would. And not one damn thing will be accomplished other than more divide. If you cannot reach a common ground, there will always be hostility. Politics does not have to bring about a you versus me situation because neither will ever be happy.
And thanks for correcting my grammar. I knew better.