Help arrives for evicted families

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The 10 families that were evicted from their homes Dec. 28 in a rent dispute learned Wednesday that a donation has been made to cover some of their legal expenses.

Lenora Garcia, who was evicted with her husband and four children, said Wednesday that Vice President Ben Shelly notified the families that the Navajo Engineering and Construction Authority of Shiprock is making the donation.

Garcia said the families don't know the amount but are thankful for any assistance. She said they would learn the size of the donation today (Jan. 14).

Garcia added that the families are very thankful for the donations that have allowed them to stay in a hotel in Gallup but they "excited and relieved" to be moving out of the hotel and into Navajo Housing Authority houses starting today.

Shirlene Rogers, who was evicted with her mother and four children, said the families were attending a Navajo Housing Authority orientation session in Tohatchi, N.M., when they were asked to come to Window Rock.

Rogers said Gallup attorney David Jordan will continue representing them in their petition to the Navajo Nation Supreme Court for reconsideration of its Dec. 16 decision allowing Sandstone Housing of Fort Defiance to evict them from their homes in Church Rock, N.M.

On Jan. 7, the NHA board of directors unanimously approved emergency housing for the families and voted to hire workers to renovate 11 available houses. The board also allocated funds to pay for hotel housing for the families until the renovations were completed over a two-week period.

The board took the actions at a special meeting called to address the plight of the evicted families.

NHA board member Ervin Keeswood asked if an evicted NHA tenant or homeowner could use the agency's assistance to the evictees as grounds to remain in their houses under NHA's emergency shelter policy.

The policy allows individuals housing for up to 60 days.

Keeswood called the board's decision to help the families "very compassionate." He also explained to the families that they might qualify for permanent occupancy of the emergency shelter housing.

NHA staff reminded the families that they must complete NHA housing applications, which included criminal background checks, before qualifying for emergency shelter.

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Rogers said NHA informed the families on Tuesday that there are four houses available in the Sundance area, which is a few miles from Church Rock, and four houses in the Church Rock area.

She did not know where the other two houses were located.

Rogers said NHA's plans to relocate the families to a hotel with kitchenettes didn't work out.

She said the move into houses will stabilize the school situation for the children involved in the evictions.

The children were taking buses to Gallup and Fort Wingate but now the parents, who are primarily single heads of households, must juggle transportation schedules for different school hours while attending to their non-school age children.

Rogers said Church Rock Chapter Secretary/Treasurer Louise Jim informed the families that their hotel stay was paid up to Jan. 20 and that they had the option of staying in the hotel until they were completely moved into the NHA houses.

She said Jim explained to the families that they might have to take a couple of days to clean the houses and then move in.

Rogers said some of the families were able to store their belongings with friends and family but that many of them had their belongings on flatbeds that were covered with plastic tarp.

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