dying woman facing eviction : NOLA Indymedia

HOUSING S.O.S FOR TERMINALLY ILL KATRINA SURVIVOR!!!

On Friday Arlene Craft, a terminally ill Katrina Survivor, received a notice of eviction from her apartment on Touro Street in New Orleans. The eviction notice came despite promises from HANO ,dating as far back as March, that the housing authority would provide housing voucher assistance to help Arlene pay her rent. The assistance has yet to come. Arlene, at last count, owes her landlord $2,000 in back rent. The only source of income that she is receiving is a $579 a month Social Security check. Too add insult to injury HANO is threatening to pull Arlene from its housing voucher program on August 15th even though she has yet to receive even a penny in housing assistance.
What Arlene wants is housing that allows her to die with a modicum of dignity. She needs, and for the moment has, an apartment that can accommodate the two rooms of medical equipment she needs to treat her terminal illness, a lung disease. She needs, and for the moment has, access to a washer, a dryer and other amenities. She needs, but doesn’t have, the peace of mind of knowing that her special housing needs will be addressed as she battles terminal illness.
HANO has offered to warehouse Arlene in an apartment not equipped to meet her special needs. This apartment requires a $300 deposit, in addition to rent, that Arlene simply doesn’t have. This apartment does not come equipped with washers, dryers other amenities that Arlene, because of her physical condition, truly needs. This apartment can barely house Arlene’s medical equipment, let alone Arlene. This apartment is in a complex with a crime problem but no security. This apartment is no place where a dying woman should have to spend her final days. But this is what HANO is offering Arlene. The response of Arlene to HANO’s ultimatum is no. She wants to die with dignity. And she doesn’t want a HANO decision to sweep her under the rug to be used by the housing authority as a pretext for stiffing her landlord.
Those who believe that Arlene, like every other human being, deserves to die with dignity should join the fight to compel HANO to provide her with the housing assistance due to a terminally ill person! If you can join this struggle to defend Arlene’s right to live her last days in dignity please email me or call (504) 587-0080. Time is of the essence.

Mike Howells
C3/Hands Off Iberville
May Day New Orleans

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