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Housing Attorneys File Lawsuit to Preserve the Rights of Disabled Client

Joint News Release—LAFLA & Housing Rights Center

(LOS ANGELES) (August 3, 2010)—Housing attorneys at the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles (LAFLA) and the Southern California Housing Rights Center (HRC) filed a lawsuit today in the Central District Court of California on behalf of a 62-year-old client with significant physical disabilities. Maria Mejia has resided in her second-floor apartment for 12 years and requires a transfer to a ground-floor apartment to accommodate her disabilities and continue to live with dignity. The lawsuit was filed against her landlord, Joseph Comonfort, for refusing a reasonable accommodation for the client’s disabilities as required by the federal Fair Housing Amendments Act (FHAA) and related state laws such as the California Fair Employment and Housing Act and the Unruh Civil Rights Act.

Mejia is severely disabled with heart problems and complications from diabetes such as renal failure, nerve damage to her arms, and poor vision. As a result of dialysis and other treatments, she has become so weak that she can hardly use her legs. Mejia has relied on a wheelchair for mobility the last few years, but resides in a second-story unit only accessible by stairs. In May 2010, she and her husband requested a transfer to a ground-floor apartment, and although her landlord originally agreed to the transfer as a reasonable accommodation, and also promised a move-in date, he reneged on the agreement. Without the transfer, Mejia is unable to independently navigate the stairs leading to and from her unit and forced to crawl, or rely on her husband to physically carry her to her apartment, while leaving her wheelchair on the ground floor.

"Under the FHAA, permitting a tenant with physical disabilities to transfer to a ground floor unit has been recognized as a reasonable accommodation," explained LAFLA Attorney Barbara Schultz.

LAFLA Applauds Recent White House Ruling Regarding PTSD Benefits

Position Statement

(LOS ANGELES) (JULY 13, 2010) —Attorneys at the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles (LAFLA), the largest public interest law firm in California, applaud the recent ruling by the Obama Administration to simplify the claims process for war veterans seeking benefits for post traumatic stress disorder. Although we believe there are certain shortcomings in the process, we feel that the ruling is a good first step to making the receipt of much needed benefits a reality for disabled vets. Many veterans become homeless as a result of their inability to navigate the complex Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). LAFLA’s Bill Smith Homeless Veterans Project has been fighting for the rights of veterans for 10 years. Our attorneys are on the frontline everyday protecting veterans and their families by securing government benefits, medical care and services while stabilizing their living situation. Homeless veterans comprise 25 percent of the 73,000 homeless individuals in Los Angeles County. If not homeless, many veterans live in cheap hotels and over-crowded or sub-standard housing, despite the wealth of benefits offered by the VA. We hope this ruling will make it easier for veterans and their families to obtain the benefits they so richly deserve.

Social Workers Add Value
to Work of Legal Aid Attorneys

News Release

(LOS ANGELES) (June 24, 2010) —The Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles, one of largest public interest law firms in the nation, has hired several experienced social workers to work alongside its attorneys who handle domestic violence and eviction/defense cases.

For many years LAFLA received a sizable grant from the County of Los Angeles to provide legal assistance to California Work Opportunities and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs) recipients who are victims of domestic violence. It became clear to the attorneys working on the project that many of their clients needed more than just legal assistance if they were to recover from their trauma and successfully navigate the world.

Fortuitously, the County for the first time in 2008 made it possible for legal services agencies to seek funding for case management to complement their legal services. LAFLA applied and received funding for two social workers. County project manager Chris Frau expressed the hope that LAFLA’s system would serve as a model for other legal services agencies in the future. The first grant year has ended, and according to Ana Storey, managing attorney of LAFLA’s Family Law Unit, the program has been a resounding success.