Thankfully, many New Orleans unhoused had Housing on Thanksgiving
27th November 2023 · 0 Comments
Eyes and hearts can’t unsee the despair and displacement at five homeless encampments around the City of New Orleans. Drive down Claiborne Avenue or near the Convention Center; a river of unhoused people clouds your view. Why are so many people unhoused?
We all know the answers: rent increases, poverty, mental illness, and societal and health issues lead people to become homeless.
According to HUD, the average fair-market rent for a one-bedroom apartment in the metro area is now more than $1,000.
New Orleans, like other cities, has been hard hit by inflation. But here, low wages, high car and health insurance, property taxes, high rents and cost of living, and gentrification helped grow the homeless population. At one point, at least 62 families were unhoused.
The Mayor’s Office of Homeless Services and Strategy (OHSS) estimates it must find permanent housing for 1,500 people. OHSS Director Nathaniel Fields’ goal is to end homelessness in New Orleans by the end of 2025.
A coalition of nonprofit housing organizations, including Unity New Orleans, Tulane, Ochsner Hospital, has stepped up to aid in providing housing and health care for the unhoused.
According to news reports, the city has about $30 million to house the homeless.
Once homeless himself for a time in Baltimore, Fields gave an update on the work to take down the encampments.
It was a matter of time before the city removed the encampment under I-10 near the Morial Convention Center. The fact that New Orleans will play host to the 59th Superbowl on February 9, 2025, is an added incentive to house the homeless.
It was only a few weeks ago that the city closed the Tchoupitoulas encampment. Fields credited Unity New Orleans for finding 31 individuals housing.
Paying workers, the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour for a 40-hour work week is a direct route to the poor house. More than 25 percent of New Orleans residents live in poverty, which can lead to homelessness. Fifty-seven percent of New Orleans households do not make enough to cover all basic needs, according to a United Way study.
We applaud the City of New Orleans for forging partnerships with housing and health-related organizations. We are happy for those who will experience a Thanksgiving holiday in safe housing. The question is, will they stay housed?
While some workers in the service industry are striking for $15 per hour, the truth is that $31,000 annually falls short of what one must earn to have a decent quality of life in New Orleans.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the estimated median household income during the end of 2022 was $45,594 a year in New Orleans, or approximately $21.92 an hour. If you spend only 30 percent of your monthly income on rent, you will need $40,720 to live comfortably in a one-bedroom apartment that costs $1,018.
Low and poverty wages are culprits that drive people to homelessness. There should be no such thing as “the working poor.” Sadly, there is, thanks to greedy corporatists who want to make all the money and pay workers a pittance. Some corporate CEOs make millions, while workers make nickels.
The problem of chronic homelessness in New Orleans will never be solved if Louisiana state legislators don’t get off their butts, come out of their comfortable homes, and pass legislation to raise the minimum wage to at least $20 an hour.
We won’t hold our breath.
Still, this Thanksgiving, we are thankful that the city is taking people off the streets and putting roofs over their heads and grateful for ours. Happy Thanksgiving, New Orleans!
This article originally published in the November 27, 2023 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.
