NEW ORLEANS – Mayor Mitch Landrieu responded to a report released by The Data Center that found 39 percent of children in New Orleans are living in poverty, depriving them of healthy brain development and causing lifelong learning difficulties in many cases.
Statement from Mayor Mitch Landrieu:
"This report is a startling reminder that too many of our children are trapped in a cycle of poverty that robs them of the opportunities, support and resources they need to achieve their dreams. As we continue to rebuild New Orleans, I want every child to have the opportunity to succeed and to live a long, healthy and happy life.
"We know that early childhood interventions have strong returns on investment, both for the child and for the community by reducing crime, poverty, homelessness and hunger. My Administration will continue to prioritize initiatives like NOLA FOR LIFE, Economic Opportunity and Racial Reconciliation to aggressively tackle these issues head on and to acknowledge the work yet to be done in New Orleans. The Health Department has also begun work on the social determinants of health, which are based on issues around poverty, economic development and education.
"This report and others remind us of a difficult truth: the work ahead of us is hard and it will take a long time to bend the arc of history. Nevertheless, we are focused and fearless in our efforts to bend that arc. My Administration will use this report to issue a clarion call to our community to reduce child poverty, and we will continue working around the clock until all New Orleans children are guaranteed a strong start and a fair shot at a bright future."
NOLA FOR LIFE
Launched in May 2012, NOLA FOR LIFE implements 35 initiatives to strategically reduce the number of murders in New Orleans. From prevention to intervention, to enforcement and rehabilitation, these initiatives are grouped in five main categories: Stop the Shooting, Invest in Prevention, Promote Jobs and Opportunity, Strengthen the NOPD and Get Involved and Rebuild Neighborhoods. The strategy has led to the steady decline of murder over the last three years, reaching a 43-year historic low in 2014 – the lowest number of murders in New Orleans since 1971.
ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY STRATEGY
Spearheaded by the Mayor, the Economic Opportunity Strategy was launched in September 2014 to introduce a new way of connecting all New Orleanians to the city’s economic growth through partnerships with local training providers, social service agencies, and community advocates. In addition, the Strategy includes collaboration with some of the region’s largest employers and anchor institutions—LCMC Health, Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, Ochsner Health System, Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans, Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care System, Tulane University, and Xavier University of New Orleans.
RACIAL RECONCILIATION
Launched in April 2014, Welcome Table New Orleans is a multi-year initiative focused on race, reconciliation and community building. Funded by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Welcome Table is bringing people of different racial groups and backgrounds together to build relationships that lead to improvements in key areas throughout the city. It is being offered in partnership with the William Winter Institute for Racial Reconciliation. The Urban League of Greater New Orleans is also a partner in this effort.
