At first Jefferson Parish looks like most suburbs. Starbucks, a massive PetSmart, Office Max, and other stores line the main road. We drove just off this road onto semi-paved, pot-hole filled roads to a mix of mostly run-down homes, newly built homes and trailers. The trailers were right next to the houses, none of which could be seen from the main road. I wondered why the Parish would consider the trailers a “blight” problem when only the few people living around the trailers, who were family or friends of people living in the trailers, could see them.

One person we are helping has been living in a Jefferson Parish for 51 years. His parents, aunts, uncles, and other relatives were buried in this cemetery near his home. But right now his is living in a FEMA trailer and still needs more time to rebuild his home. Hopefully the Parish will give him more time, otherwise he does not know where he would live.

To the left is a picture of us talking to someone who was suppose to have received money from the federal government by now based on the sales tax of certain items in her home. When she called the government agency, they told her she owed them money for a loan she never took out!

posted by Nina Sachdev  # 8:00 PM

Our first day in the office began with a quick orientation and intro LA succession law. We are working with New Orleans Legal Assistance to help people get official title to their property so they can apply to the Road Home Program and get money to repair their homes.

The Road Home Program is designed to help families that are victims of Katrina and Rita return to their homes as quickly as possible. Homeowners may be able to receive as much as $150,000 in compensation for their losses.

One of the biggest hurdles for homeowners is to prove they own the property they are living on. Homes are often passed down through generations without changing the name on the title of the property. This is where we come in.

After our brief orientation we jumped right in and began interviewing possible clients. We delved into their family history and learned about the property in question. In the simple cases, the outcome is a document we prepare for them that they can use to show they are the homeowners and receive the Road Home funds. The more complicated cases will take longer and they will need to spend more time with an attorney.

Throughout the day of interviewing we heard some incredible stories. Stories of people having driven to Texan in a van thinking they would be gone for 3 days only to return to a devastated home. They now live in trailers next to their gutted homes, everything they held dear to them lost.

Having seen the areas hit hardest by the flood on Sunday gave us an invaluable perspective. When the clients talked about their gutted homes, I had a very real visualization of what they are describing. I picture the span of land dotted with houses barely standing, their owners living in small trailers in front. When they describe their post-Katrina lives, I cannot claim to understand, but I am less naïve than we were on Saturday.

posted by Alison Plenge  # 6:39 PM

When I landed in New Orleans on Saturday, I had come back to a place that I hold very close to my heart. I graduated from Tulane University last May, and my relationship with New Orleans has been a love-hate relationship. I hated New Orleans the first year that I lived here – I hated the dirtiness, the crime, and the scared feeling I had when I returned back to my apartment at night. Returning this past Saturday to volunteer with SHN, I realize that I love New Orleans.

We started our day on Sunday with a tour with Stan, a friend of mine from graduate school. I had been on a tour of the 9^th Ward with Stan in January 2006, but this time, the tour covered a large area that had been devastated by Katrina. We took a four hour tour through Lakeview, City Park, East New Orleans, the 9^th Ward, and Mid City. Katrina didn’t just hit one neighborhood or one part of town; it destroyed businesses and homes of both the very rich and the very poor, whites and African-Americans. Katrina didn’t discriminate.

I feel anger towards the local, state and federal governments; it’s almost as if they forgot about New Orleans and the New Orleanians (and other Gulf Coast residents) who don’t have housing anymore, who can’t afford to return and rent overpriced apartments, and who can’t re-open up their small businesses. I feel guilty too – living in far away California and getting caught up in my first year of law school – I too have forgotten.

Every person that I have talked to feels that the government at all levels has not stepped up to the plate to help in the rebuilding process. Rather, volunteers from colleges and universities across the nation as well as religious organizations have come to help out. I’m glad that I am here, and I hope that the little things that I can do to help out will improve someone else’s life.

What I realize most is that the people of New Orleans are strong and determined to rebuild their city; yet, at the same, they are warm, welcoming and grateful for our presence here to help them. It is their spirit, their love, and their belief in their city that inspires me each day that I am here.

posted by Alison Plenge  # 6:01 PM