Flooded grounds/Lawsuit filed against county housing to prevent eviction

BROWNSVILLE — A lawsuit has been filed against the Cameron County Housing Authority seeking to prevent the agency from evicting a mother with five minor children, including a 6-year-old daughter with cerebral palsy, according to the lawsuit.

Housing Authority Executive Director Daisy Flores did not return calls Friday from a reporter requesting comment on the lawsuit.

Eliza Davila rents a house through the Section 8 program, in which a private property owner receives small payments from Davila and the rest of the rent is paid by the housing authority, states the lawsuit, which was filed for Davila by Texas Rio Grande Legal Aid Inc.

Davila has no income other than supplemental Social Security payments for her daughter and food stamps, the lawsuit states. She pays $33 a month rent for the house, the lawsuit states.

The reasons the housing authority gave for its eviction order were based on an April 16 annual inspection of the Davila home, the lawsuit states.

A notice had been given to the owner of repairs that needed to be made and also a handwritten list of repairs were given to Davila, which the CCHA said were her responsibility to make, the lawsuit states.

Also, the report stated that her home was dirty and that her husband and son, who were not authorized tenants, were also living in the home, the lawsuit states.

No reason or legal authority were given as to why some of the repairs were Davila’s responsibility, the lawsuit states.

A housing authority report stated Davila’s home was inspected twice and it was found to be dirty both times, the lawsuit states.

The lawsuit is seeking a court order to prevent the CCHA from evicting Davila and her family.

The housing authority’s eviction notice did not follow federal Department of Housing and Urban Development regulations, the lawsuit claims.

The lawsuit also asks the court to order the CCHA to reinstate Davila’s monthly housing voucher.