A storm over New Orleans public housing in Katrina wake

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January 2007

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A storm over New Orleans public housing in Katrina wake

A storm over New Orleans public housing in Katrina wake
When Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast, people across the country were shocked to learn of the structural injustices that allowed so many poor, mostly African-American people to be left behind to fend for themselves. More than a year later, low-income New Orleans residents are fighting to keep one of those social structures that many argue let them down-public housing developments.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Housing Authority of New Orleans plan to demolish four housing projects with 4,534 garden-style apartments and replace them with mixed-income housing. Residents and public housing advocates charge that HUD is using Katrina as an excuse to raze public housing that is habitable with minimal repairs in order to keep low-income residents from returning to the city.

"The buildings are in better shape than anything they would be replaced with," says Bill Quigley, a law professor at Loyola University New Orleans who is representing the residents. The Loyola Law Clinic, which he directs, has created justiceforneworleans.org to serve New Orleans residents through the rebuilding process.

The clinic asked John Fernandez, an associate professor of Architecture at MIT, to inspect 140 units. In an affidavit he concluded: "No structural or nonstructural damage was found that could reasonably warrant any cost-effective building demolition. . . . The original construction methods and materials of these projects are far superior in their resistance to hurricane conditions than typical new construction and with renovation and regular maintenance, the lifetimes of the buildings in all four projects promise decades of continued service that may be extended indefinitely."

Repairing or even modernizing the developments will be a lot less expensive than demolishing and rebuilding them, according to Quigley's numbers. St. Bernard Public Housing Development, for example, could be repaired for $41 million and modernized for $130 million, whereas demolition and rebuilding fewer units will cost $197 million.

HANO was already planning to replace the housing projects with mixed income housing before Hurricane Katrina hit, following the national trend of demolishing often deteriorating, crime-ridden public housing that concentrate poor residents into small geographic zones. "That's not a way to live," says Adonis Exposé, communications director of HANO, adding that they hope the new development will offer "a better quality of life and blend in with the surrounding community."

"Katrina just made a bad situation worse. It's a time now that we can do what we need to do," Expose says. Rebuilding now is also more cost effective than repairing buildings that will have to be fixed up every few years or that will be torn down later anyway. HANO doesn't want to "just put a Band-Aid on" the problem, he says.

Although all want a better community, Quigley isn't convinced HANO and HUD has the correct approach. According to his numbers, three of public housing developments will go from 3,669 units to 1,415 units, only 468 of which will be public housing units.

"Of course, low income people need improved housing, but with any effort to convert or transform housing, low income people should be able to participate," Quigley says. "And there should never be a decrease in housing available. Everybody is in favor of mixed income housing but the way it's used now, 80 percent of the people who used to live there never get back."

Quigley wants Representatives Maxine Waters, D-Calif., and Barney Frank, D-Mass., to hold a congressional investigation in order to protect the right of poor people to return to New Orleans and says people across the country can help by educating themselves and their congressional representative.

The New Orleans housing situation can be instructive for the whole country. "The truth is what is happening in New Orleans is what is happening to a lesser degree all across the country," says Quigley. "What is happening in New Orleans is just very concentrated and high profile right now."

While the interested parties disagree about what to do with public housings, most residents simply want to come home. Of the 5,200 families in public housing before Katrina, only 1,100 families have returned, Quigley says. Most people are still scattered around the country or live in temporary housing provide by FEMA. There are also many homeless people or multiple families living in single apartments in New Orleans due to rent hikes.

"The longer this [legal battle] drags out, the longer the people won't be home," says James Kelly, president of Providence Community Housing, which will be rebuilding the Lafitte housing project. Kelly, also the CEO of Catholic Charities New Orleans, is hopeful because all sides are discussing "phased redevelopment."

This means that some buildings will be cleaned for residents to move back into while others are demolished and rebuilt, Exposé says. The exact buildings and numbers are still under negotiations. "Every resident will have an opportunity to come back home, but it just won't be immediate," he says.

Providence, which was formed by Catholic Charities and other Catholic organizations with the goal of returning at least 18,000 people to New Orleans by rebuilding and repairing 7,000 homes, hopes to address the concerns of residents by involving them in the redevelopment process. Providence will not be part of the demolition, Kelly says, and will respect the suit against the demolition.

It also gave HUD four condition for redeveloping Lafitte and the surrounding area: that every family had the opportunity to return, that all 890 original subsidize units would be replaced, that the residents would be able to be active participants, and that HUD would manage $2.5 million raised by Providence for case management and counseling services. Providence also plans to add 600 homes for sale to moderate income families on and around the site.

The debate in New Orleans has been "Do you build it right or do you build it fast?" Kelly says. "I don't think a phased redevelopment is a middle ground; I think it's a right ground."—Megan Sweas

Learn more:
Justice For New Orleans Quigley and the Loyola Law Clinic developed this fact sheet on the demolition.
"This is my home" Quigley recommends this documentary.
Survivor's Village A group of residents created a tent city in protest and share their stories on this site.
Providence Community Housing The Catholic organization will redevelop Lafitte with residents in mind.
Housing and Urban Development HUD explains its response to the housing crisis caused by the gulf hurricanes.

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