Faber Fellowship Update – Molly Gordon

Faber Fellowship Update – Molly Gordon

Since Fall of 2022, Faber Fellow, Molly Gordon, has been hard at work aiding low-income Southeast Louisiana residents achieve housing stability by targeting rent debt. Due to the pandemic, many tenants fell behind on rent through no fault of their own, and the resulting wage and bank account penalties and diminished credit ratings became a significant barrier to those tenants obtaining safe housing. Gordon has been working alongside Southeast Louisiana Legal Services, an organization that provides free legal aid to low-income people living in the state of Louisiana.

We are happy to share that in the first six months of her Fellowship, Gordon has been able to aid and advocate for over 40 tenants in Southeast Louisiana. She has helped not only by providing valuable information and advice, but also by acting as representation in small claims court for tenants who have experienced the impact of debt and eviction records on their obtaining stable and safe housing. Gordon has also helped renters dispute inaccurate and misleading information contained in tenant screening reports, as well as advocated for tenants who have been denied housing based on overly restrictive tenant screening policies.

Among other client “wins,” Molly has been able to help:

• Eliminate over $20,000 of improperly reported balances via disputes (ranging from $320 to $3,814 per client)
• File a counterclaim against a landlord who had sued a client for $5,000 for property damages, after the client had endured months of rodent infestations and faulty plumbing, resulting in the landlord dropping the suit
• Vacate 5 eviction judgements, with 3 others currently pending

Molly has also helped secure funds and set up payment plans, as well as provided advice on settling with collections agencies, assisted with Section 8 voucher preservation, helped reverse denials by prospective landlords, and connected clients with other services that were needed.

In the next several months of her Fellowship, Gordon will continue assisting and providing support to the Southeast Louisiana community. She has set a goal of reducing the time it takes to resolve cases, in order to get more clients housed more quickly. Additionally, she plans to increase community outreach and education, including the instruction of “Know-Your-Rights” training to community groups on the issues relating to debt and eviction records. Additionally, Gordon plans to use state and federal consumer protection statutes to protect the rights of renters who have been, and continue to be, harmed by unfair debt collection and credit reporting practices.