NEW ORLEANS -- Leigh Adler and her husband own an Uptown apartment four-plex, and two of her tenants are on the federal Section 8 program. But Leigh is so angry she was almost in tears.
"It's been beyond frustrating. I've been from screaming fits to crying fits, and it's not easy dealing with them, or not dealing with them when they don't return my calls," she said. "We thought this was going to be a retirement plan, and I think it is more going to put me in an early grave."
Under the Section 8 program, the Housing Authority of New Orleans reimburses landlords who rent to low income residents. But in Leigh's case, she hasn't received a dime.
"They have not paid the rent. They have not returned numerous phone calls. I have called almost every day for two weeks, they will not return my phone calls."
This is the second time it has happened.
"So it went on three months, and I think finally June 20, they deposited the past due rent."
This month, at first, all she could get was excuses, one after another.
"First that the rent was paid, it was processed on the first, but the first was a Sunday. Then it was paid, and I needed to take up the issue with my bank. Then maybe you owe them some money. I said 'Wouldn't they tell me or notify me in some way if I owed them money, and they would want to hold my rent?' No they wouldn't do that."
But when they stopped talking to her, other bills went unpaid as she waited for HANO to send her the rent check.
"I have a water bill on the property. If I don't pay the water bill, the water gets shut off."
When Leigh Adler e-mailed the Action Line, we contacted a top official with the Housing Authority, and he went right to work on this situation. Well now, HANO spokesmen say that they have found a mistake was made in this case, that they do owe her the rent money for this month. Within hours, officials admitted a mistake had been made, and hand-delivered a check to her late Thursday afternoon.
It was the news Leigh Adler has waited for.
"For an answer, for somebody to say hey, you know we dropped the ball. Here we go, we fixed it, here's your money."
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