Housing Authority of New Orleans

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The Housing Authority of New Orleans is a housing authority in New Orleans, Louisiana tasked with providing housing to low-income residents.

The public housing in New Orleans has been subject to federal control for a number of years prior to Hurricane Katrina. After the storm, many of the public housing units were destroyed by decision of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). These housing projects in New Orleans have also been home to important cultural contributions, such as the birth of Bounce music.

Through New Orleans hip hop and other popular media, millions of people have heard boastful tales of ruthless murders, powerful drug rings, and rags-to-riches stories originating from these areas.[citation needed]

Contents

[edit] List of New Orleans housing projects

[edit] Uptown Projects

[edit] Downtown Projects

[edit] Westbank Projects

[edit] History

[edit] Post-Katrina reductions and controversy

[edit] Lawsuit

On June 27, 2006, a class action law suit was filed by displaced residents of New Orleans public housing to challenge the plan of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to reduce the number of public housing units in the city from 5,100 before Hurricane Katrina to only 2,000 units. More information on the suit can be found at the web site for Justice for New Orleans which has the complaint for the law suit, and a press release also gives more information.

[edit] City council vote

The New Orleans city council voted unanimously on December 20, 2007 to allow HUD to destroy 4,500 units of low-income housing. HUD plans to replace the units with mixed-income housing.

The city council voted despite the arguments at the council meeting by residents who said that HUD's plan would not provide enough housing for the 3,000 families (mostly black) who lived in the projects before Hurricane Katrina. Many more protestors clashed violently with police both inside and outside the council chambers. [1][2][3]

[edit] One future prediction

Courtney Cowart, strategic director of disaster response for the Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana, has predicted that the shortage of low-cost housing will get worse in the coming months, because the federal government plans to move more than 30,000 people out of government-owned trailers.[1]

[edit] Racial Composition

New Orleans public housing has experienced extraordinary segregation. Racial data from HUD's Resident Characteristics Report, as of March 31, 2008, of the 17,730 public housing units in New Orleans, indicate that 95% of the population in the Metropolitan Statistical Area is African American. Statewide figures for Louisiana's 26,637 public housing units show that 80% of the population is African American, compared with a 46% African American component of the entire nation's 1.9 million public housing units.

[edit] Status

łł Housing developments to be destroyed. [1]

ł Currently open. [2]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Moreno Gonzales, John. "Group Helps House New Orleans' Homeless", Associated Press via Google News, 12-21-2007. Retrieved on 2007-12-21. 
  2. ^ Jarvie, Jenny. "Fury in New Orleans as housing demolition OKd", Los Angeles Times, 12-21-2007. Retrieved on 2007-12-21. 
  3. ^ Nossiter, Adam; Eaton, Leslie. "New Orleans Council Votes for Demolition of Housing", The New York Times, 12-21-2007. Retrieved on 2007-12-21. 

[edit] External links