Thursday, October 8, 2009
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Victory!
A new lease has been signed, Erica and the kids can stay in their home! I've been overwhelmed by the amount of work folks put into this, and your support for the family. Of course, many other families are facing the same sort of situations that her family was facing, and we'll have more soon about next steps that we can take to make sure that this doesn't happen again in our communities.
Monday, October 5, 2009
HUD: Orphans should be allowed to stay in their home
This morning's rally ended with clapping and cheers.
After months of silence, officials at the Illinois branch of HUD have stated that Erica Bledsoe and her nieces and nephew should not be evicted from their home in Rogers Park and will be allowed to remain living there.
The case has been going on for over a year, ever since Erica's mother, Rosetta Bledsoe died last September. She was the guardian to her three grandchildren, and her sudden death shocked the family and put their home in jeopardy. Even though the children were on the lease and have the legal right to stay in the apartment as remaining family members, the company that owns their Section 8 apartment, Northpoint, was trying to throw the family out.
And now the case is nearly over.
Full post on One Story Up
After months of silence, officials at the Illinois branch of HUD have stated that Erica Bledsoe and her nieces and nephew should not be evicted from their home in Rogers Park and will be allowed to remain living there.
The case has been going on for over a year, ever since Erica's mother, Rosetta Bledsoe died last September. She was the guardian to her three grandchildren, and her sudden death shocked the family and put their home in jeopardy. Even though the children were on the lease and have the legal right to stay in the apartment as remaining family members, the company that owns their Section 8 apartment, Northpoint, was trying to throw the family out.
And now the case is nearly over.
Full post on One Story Up
Letter to public officials
Join us today to deliver this message to officials at HUD and IHDA, 12PM, Dearborn and Jackson.
We represent a broad community of Chicagoans who stand together with the Bledsoe family. Enclosed, please find over 500 signatures of people from across Chicago that want the eviction case dropped and for the family to stay in their home. On October 8, 2009 the entire family may face homelessness if Northpoint management prevails in its Dickensian mission to kick orphans out of their homes. Please re-examine this case and force Northpoint to dismiss their suit.
As you may know, the case involves three minor children, ages 9, 11 and 14, and their aunt, Erica Bledsoe. The grandmother and guardian of the children, Rosetta Bledsoe (also Erica’s mother), died unexpectedly approximately one year ago due to a stroke – she was only 49. Rosetta had been the children’s primary caregiver and mother, in effect, for at least eight years; the children are listed as tenants on the lease documents in the year 2000. Erica, the aunt, is now the children’s legal guardian.
On October 13, 2008, within six weeks of the death of Rosetta Bledsoe, Northpoint issued a “Demand for Immediate Possession” to the family. The company told them that they all needed to get out immediately since Rosetta was dead, despite the fact that the children were listed on the lease. When Northpoint filed the suit, they didn’t name the children, but instead listed them as “unknown occupants.” That Northpoint refused to acknowledge the children’s right to their home of nearly ten years defies both common sense and human decency. Despite legal precedent, Northpoint refuses to put Erica’s name on the apartment lease.
It is astonishing that federal tax dollars are being spent on both sides in litigation that never should have been filed in the first place. If Northpoint wins, federal tax dollars will have been used to push innocent children into homelessness, at a time of great economic duress.
We firmly believe that the well being of this family and our community is worth fighting for. We hope that your agency agrees that these unjust and callous assaults against the family have gone too far. We urge you, as stewards of federal tax dollars, to step up and stop this by getting Northpoint to dismiss their vicious lawsuit voluntarily before October 8 and allowing the family to stay in their home.
Sincerely,
The Committee to Support the Bledsoe Family
We represent a broad community of Chicagoans who stand together with the Bledsoe family. Enclosed, please find over 500 signatures of people from across Chicago that want the eviction case dropped and for the family to stay in their home. On October 8, 2009 the entire family may face homelessness if Northpoint management prevails in its Dickensian mission to kick orphans out of their homes. Please re-examine this case and force Northpoint to dismiss their suit.
As you may know, the case involves three minor children, ages 9, 11 and 14, and their aunt, Erica Bledsoe. The grandmother and guardian of the children, Rosetta Bledsoe (also Erica’s mother), died unexpectedly approximately one year ago due to a stroke – she was only 49. Rosetta had been the children’s primary caregiver and mother, in effect, for at least eight years; the children are listed as tenants on the lease documents in the year 2000. Erica, the aunt, is now the children’s legal guardian.
On October 13, 2008, within six weeks of the death of Rosetta Bledsoe, Northpoint issued a “Demand for Immediate Possession” to the family. The company told them that they all needed to get out immediately since Rosetta was dead, despite the fact that the children were listed on the lease. When Northpoint filed the suit, they didn’t name the children, but instead listed them as “unknown occupants.” That Northpoint refused to acknowledge the children’s right to their home of nearly ten years defies both common sense and human decency. Despite legal precedent, Northpoint refuses to put Erica’s name on the apartment lease.
It is astonishing that federal tax dollars are being spent on both sides in litigation that never should have been filed in the first place. If Northpoint wins, federal tax dollars will have been used to push innocent children into homelessness, at a time of great economic duress.
We firmly believe that the well being of this family and our community is worth fighting for. We hope that your agency agrees that these unjust and callous assaults against the family have gone too far. We urge you, as stewards of federal tax dollars, to step up and stop this by getting Northpoint to dismiss their vicious lawsuit voluntarily before October 8 and allowing the family to stay in their home.
Sincerely,
The Committee to Support the Bledsoe Family
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Press conference and rally tomorrow!
Don't forget - tomorrow (10/5) at noon at Federal Plaza (Jackson and Dearborn).
We'll have a short press conference, deliver the petitions to HUD and IDHA and show our support for the Bledsoe family.
It's important that we show government officials that we care about what happens in our community. Come and let them know that we will stand up for justice in our neighborhoods.
See you there!
We'll have a short press conference, deliver the petitions to HUD and IDHA and show our support for the Bledsoe family.
It's important that we show government officials that we care about what happens in our community. Come and let them know that we will stand up for justice in our neighborhoods.
See you there!
Friday, October 2, 2009
Politicians ignore Bledsoe families cries for help
I hope you've been calling your local and national public officials to tell them to make Northpoint drop this ridiculous case against the Bledsoe family.
I've been contacting them, and the response hasn't been inspiring. That's why we need your help to keep raising this issue with the people elected to represent our interested and our concerns.
Read more about my conversations with politicians here.
Here's the list of people you can contact:
Ed Hinsberger - HUD Illinois office
312-353-6236 x2132, Edward.Hinsberger@hud.gov
Mary Kenney - Illinois Housing Development Authority
312-836-5317, mkenney@ihda.org
Alderman Joe Moore, 49th Ward
773-338-5796, ward49@cityofchicago.org
Representative Jan Schakowsky - 9th district
202-708-0417,
I've been contacting them, and the response hasn't been inspiring. That's why we need your help to keep raising this issue with the people elected to represent our interested and our concerns.
Read more about my conversations with politicians here.
Here's the list of people you can contact:
Ed Hinsberger - HUD Illinois office
312-353-6236 x2132, Edward.Hinsberger@hud.gov
Mary Kenney - Illinois Housing Development Authority
312-836-5317, mkenney@ihda.org
Alderman Joe Moore, 49th Ward
773-338-5796, ward49@cityofchicago.org
Representative Jan Schakowsky - 9th district
202-708-0417,
Community rallies against unfair eviction of family
Contact:
Frank Edwards
(312) 608-1716
Frankalready@gmail.com
Megan Cottrell
(989) 506-4467
Megan.M.Cottrell@gmail.com
Community rallies against unfair eviction of family
Federal tax dollars being used to throw orphans out on street in Rogers Park
WHO: Erica Bledsoe, her 2 nieces and nephew, and a wide range of community allies
WHAT: Press conference and delivery of over 500 postcards signed by community members demanding that HUD and IHDA intervene to stop the eviction
WHERE: Federal Plaza (Jackson and Dearborn)
WHEN: Monday, October 5th, 12PM
WHY: The management company has no justification for throwing out the family, and the community is demanding that public officials hold their contractors accountable.
Northpoint management is attempting to unjustly evict Erica Bledsoe and her nieces and nephew from their apartment at 7721 N Paulina in the Rogers Park neighborhood of Chicago. They are facing a hearing before a county judge on October 8th, which could force this family out of their home.
The case involves three minor children, ages 9, 11 and 14, and their aunt, Erica Bledsoe. The grandmother and guardian of the children, Rosetta Bledsoe (also Erica’s mother), died unexpectedly approximately one year ago due to a stroke – she was only 49. Rosetta had been the children’s primary caretaker and mother, in effect, for at least eight years; the children are listed as tenants on the lease documents in the year 2000. Erica, the aunt, is now the children’s legal guardian.
On October 13, 2008, within six weeks of the death of Rosetta Bledsoe, Northpoint issued a “Demand For Immediate Possession” to the family. The company told them that they all needed to get out immediately, since Rosetta was dead, despite the fact that the minor children were listed on the lease. When Northpoint filed the suit, they didn’t name the children, but instead listed them as “unknown occupants.”
Northpoint is using federal tax dollars to evict the family. Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky wrote a letter to HUD on May 29, 2009, asking that the children be allowed to remain in their apartment. So far, that letter has been ignored. To date, no one from HUD or IHDA has interviewed or contacted any member of the Bledsoe family to learn about their struggle.
For more background:
http://Stopeviction.Blogspot.com
http://bit.ly/OFE0F
Frank Edwards
(312) 608-1716
Frankalready@gmail.com
Megan Cottrell
(989) 506-4467
Megan.M.Cottrell@gmail.com
Community rallies against unfair eviction of family
Federal tax dollars being used to throw orphans out on street in Rogers Park
WHO: Erica Bledsoe, her 2 nieces and nephew, and a wide range of community allies
WHAT: Press conference and delivery of over 500 postcards signed by community members demanding that HUD and IHDA intervene to stop the eviction
WHERE: Federal Plaza (Jackson and Dearborn)
WHEN: Monday, October 5th, 12PM
WHY: The management company has no justification for throwing out the family, and the community is demanding that public officials hold their contractors accountable.
Northpoint management is attempting to unjustly evict Erica Bledsoe and her nieces and nephew from their apartment at 7721 N Paulina in the Rogers Park neighborhood of Chicago. They are facing a hearing before a county judge on October 8th, which could force this family out of their home.
The case involves three minor children, ages 9, 11 and 14, and their aunt, Erica Bledsoe. The grandmother and guardian of the children, Rosetta Bledsoe (also Erica’s mother), died unexpectedly approximately one year ago due to a stroke – she was only 49. Rosetta had been the children’s primary caretaker and mother, in effect, for at least eight years; the children are listed as tenants on the lease documents in the year 2000. Erica, the aunt, is now the children’s legal guardian.
On October 13, 2008, within six weeks of the death of Rosetta Bledsoe, Northpoint issued a “Demand For Immediate Possession” to the family. The company told them that they all needed to get out immediately, since Rosetta was dead, despite the fact that the minor children were listed on the lease. When Northpoint filed the suit, they didn’t name the children, but instead listed them as “unknown occupants.”
Northpoint is using federal tax dollars to evict the family. Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky wrote a letter to HUD on May 29, 2009, asking that the children be allowed to remain in their apartment. So far, that letter has been ignored. To date, no one from HUD or IHDA has interviewed or contacted any member of the Bledsoe family to learn about their struggle.
For more background:
http://Stopeviction.Blogspot.com
http://bit.ly/OFE0F
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