NEWPORT NEWS, VA (September 10, 2025) Two Newport News families are fighting back after the Newport News Redevelopment and Housing Authority (NNRHA) allegedly wrongfully terminated their Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers. This follows systemic issues with NNRHA and their pattern of disregard for federal regulations. As Jamesa Parker, Esq., a staff attorney in LASEV’s Hampton office said, “Over the last few years, our office has seen significant and pervasive problems with NNRHA’s administration of its public housing and Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program, including improperly calculating rent, late payments to landlords, failing to timely process paperwork received from tenants, and failing to provide tenants with the opportunity to contest adverse decisions. This has cost vulnerable families their homes.”
The Legal Aid Society of Eastern Virginia (LASEV) has sued NNRHA on behalf of two working single mothers, Ms. Harris and Ms. Williams. Both Ms. Harris and Ms. Williams have been long-term participants in the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program, a critical resource that allowed them to afford housing in the private market.
The first lawsuit alleges that Ms. Harris’s voucher was terminated without notice or a hearing. The termination followed Ms. Harris’ emails in which she voiced her concerns about NNRHA’s implementation of the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program. Ms. Harris expressed frustration, for example, with NNRHA’s past failures to timely pay her landlord the housing assistance rental payment.
In the second lawsuit, Ms. Williams alleges that her voucher was terminated by NNRHA without notice based upon her prior landlord’s unsupported claim that Ms. Williams owed them money. Ms. Williams and her family moved out after NNRHA failed her unit for her landlord’s failure to fix poor housing conditions, and NNRHA violated Ms. Williams’s right to due process by terminating her voucher without notice and an opportunity to contest its voucher termination decision.
As a result of NNRHA’s actions, both families now face housing insecurity: Ms. Willams has been without stable housing for over a year after being forced to split up her children and pets, while Ms. Harris faces potential eviction. Ms. Williams and Ms. Harris are seeking immediate reinstatement of their Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers. They also seek compensatory damages and injunctive relief to ensure NNRHA complies with federal regulations.
If you believe you are facing a similar problem and think you may qualify for LASEV’s services, please apply for assistance by by calling our Eligibility Screening Line at (757) 827-5078, by walk-in at one of our locations or by visiting us online at www.laseva.org.