NEW ORLEANS — Yesterday, HousingNOLA released its first report card on the state of housing in New Orleans. HousingNOLA Executive Director, Andreanecia Morris, was joined by public, non-profit and civic leaders in a round table discussion centered around the progress the city has made, where improvements are still needed and future goals for 2017.
"The HousingNOLA 10 Year Plan is not just another pretty book for a shelf in your office," said Morris. "This first report card is being released so we can hold ourselves and the city accountable when it comes to addressing the diverse housing needs of New Orleanians."
HousingNOLA is responsible for developing, executing and monitoring the 10 Year Strategy and Implementation Plan. Since releasing the HousingNOLA Preliminary Report in August 2015, HousingNOLA and the city have earned a "B" based on the progress of the following six goals outlined in the aforementioned report: (1) Preserve Existing Housing and Increase Overall Supply of Affordable Housing, (2) Prevent Future Displacement Through Development Activities, Continued Study and Policy Review, (3) Enforce and Promote Fair Housing Policies Throughout New Orleans, (4) Encourage Sustainable Design and Infrastructure for all New Orleanians, (5) Increase Accessibility for All Walks of Life, Including Special Needs Residents, and (6) Strategic Goals.
"Mayor Landrieu has made increasing availability of affordable housing for our residents a priority," said Ellen Lee, Director of Housing Policy and Community Development for the City of New Orleans. "Through the City's Housing for a Resilient New Orleans five-year strategy, our goal is to build or preserve 7,500 affordable housing units. We look forward to continuing our work with HousingNOLA to promote more affordable housing options for all our residents."
In 2016 alone, the public agencies responsible for funding housing have either created or preserved 1,991 new affordable housing opportunities for residents in the city, HousingNOLA reps said. It is through a joint cooperation between HousingNOLA, those public partners, and the community that these numbers were obtainable, they said.
Additionally, HousingNOLA was able to ensure equitable access to housing by addressing the systemic problems that prevent houses from being built and deal with the prejudices and derogatory attitude associated with affordable housing, HousingNOLA reps said. By helping to change this perception, the possibilities of locations for future affordable housing developments has expanded, they said.
Among a multitude of other accomplishments achieved in 2016, there were some areas that fell short, Housing NOLA reps said. As a result of these shortcomings, HousingNOLA has reevaluated parts of its action plan moving forward for 2017, which is detailed completely in the 2016 Report Card.
View HousingNOLA’s Report Card here
