Published April 5, 2012

By Stephanie Lulay for the Beacon-News

AURORA — The question was on the minds of folks in the mayor’s office and the Aurora Housing Authority this week. Would Letitia Mendenhall wait until the last possible second — until the sheriff’s department came?

Mendenhall — mother of seven, commonly called “Miss Tish” around the Jericho Circle Public Housing complex — was eviction case 12LM99 on Thursday. She indeed did wait for Kane County sheriff’s deputies to show up at her door to remove her from her apartment.

Mendenhall spent 14 years at the complex on Jericho Road, which is slated to be torn down after years of disrepair. Five of her children still live with her.

For awhile, Mendenhall, who is undergoing chemotherapy for cervical cancer, thought she might be saved by a different number — housing voucher #21, which would help her find another home.

According to AHA Executive Director Jean Federman, Mendenhall is the last Jericho Circle resident to move out. Another resident has not turned in her keys yet, but has reported to another housing authority, Federman said.

Eviction over electricity

“I sit down and think, ‘what in the hell did I do to deserve this?’” Mendenhall said earlier this week.

It’s a long and winding story on how Miss Tish ended up with her stuff on the curb Thursday.

Mendenhall admits she stole electricity in December 2010 by running a power cord from a neighbor’s apartment. She said she had permission to do so, and she wasn’t the only resident who did it, The Beacon-News reported in 2010.

Mendenhall believes she’s a victim of circumstance, while agreeing she is completely responsible for the act.

“It was Christmas Eve. It may not have been right, but I had kids here,” she said. “So that means I’m not in good standing?”

Federman confirmed that Mendenhall is being evicted for stealing electricity. Mendenhall also said there was a separate outstanding bill with ComEd that she is unable to pay. She went through two internal AHA hearings and court before a judge decided she was to be evicted.

“There were a lot of delays, a lot of rescheduled hearings at her request,” Federman said.

Help not at hand

In February, as the number of residents at Jericho Circle dwindled, Mendenhall was moved from the east side to the west side of the complex. She feels the Housing Authority did not give her a fair shake.

With her eviction looming, Mendenhall was on the phone with everyone. Hesed House. The West Aurora School District. State Rep. Linda Chapa LaVia’s office, the mayor’s office, churches. She never made a plan in case all those appeals failed to pan out.

She doesn’t think she can stay with a friend. She doesn’t think others could handle another five kids in the house.

“I mean come on. You could have made some arrangement with her,” said Nellie Davis, who came to check out the goings-on on Thursday.

Mendenhall was one of six evictions on Kane County Deputy Jim Seidelman’s list Thursday. She came after an out-of-work airline pilot who left his Sugar Grove home with nothing.

Hesed House, for now

As deputies and movers milled about her home Thursday, Mendenhall gave orders — what stays, what goes. Seidelman called her “Lettie” all afternoon.

“You have 24 hours to get the rest of your stuff. All of these cans aren’t going to fit in your car,” Seidelman said.

As she started to tear up, Mendenhall went back to the sink and washed the dishes.

“I’m so angry and sad because I’m so worried about my kids,” Mendenhall said. “I’ve got to find some money. That’s all my mind is on.”

The Aurora Housing Authority is paying to store Mendenhall’s belongings for three months.

After everyone departed, Mendenhall was left crying in her overpacked car. Her youngest daughter was about to get home from school.

Her phone rang and rang and rang. She finally picked it up — Patrice McGinn, an AHA consultant, was on the line.

“I just got off the phone with Ryan Dowd,” McGinn said. Dowd is the executive director of the Hesed House homeless shelter. “He says he has a place.”

Mendenhall is reluctant to end up there, but she has no plan.

“Go to Hesed House,” McGinn said one last time.