Louisa Rich

  • Hosted by Legal Aid Justice Center
  • Sponsored by Housing Justice Program
  • Service location Richmond, Virginia
  • Law school University of Virginia School of Law
  • Issue area Housing/Homelessness
  • Fellowship class year 2019
  • Program Housing Justice Program

The Project

Among large U.S. cities, Richmond has the 2nd highest eviction rate in the country at 11.44%. A total of 30.9% of all Richmond renters receive a notice of eviction in any given year. Richmond’s history of segregation, discrimination and racism continues to reverberate today, and high eviction rates are disproportionately found in minority communities, with more than 60% of all majority African American tracts facing eviction rates greater than 10%. Low-income individuals facing eviction or poor housing conditions are at a point of severe vulnerability, and access to adequate legal representation is an essential component to ensuring that their rights are not ignored.

Louisa will represent tenants in court in eviction proceedings with an eye towards impact solutions. She will advocate for local policy change through public comment and legislative work groups. She will collaborate with community groups to provide legal advice and trainings that empower low-income tenants to advocate for their rights.

Before law school, Louisa volunteered at an emergency youth homeless shelter where she saw the effects of housing instability firsthand. She quickly became involved in legal aid work during law school and got experience representing clients on a broad range of topics: public benefits, education, juvenile justice, immigration, and housing. She saw how her clients’ problems were interrelated, with housing being a baseline need that had to be addressed before resolving other issues.

Media

Teaming Up to Address the Housing Crisis in Richmond

Six Things Every Public Interest Lawyer Should Know About Housing Work

Standing Up for Tenants, Close to Home

New policies to help RRHA tenants

I think evictions are one of the biggest issues that low-income clients are facing where they need a lawyer and they're highly underrepresented.

Louisa Rich /
2019 Fellow in the Housing Justice Program

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