NEW ORLEANS — As New Orleans residents spent Monday evening prepping for the threat of severe weather, housing advocates applauded the New Orleans City Council Quality of Life Committee for taking action to make homes and the community safer in the face of future storms. The committee unanimously advanced the ordinance that will govern the Housing Trust Fund, which will dedicate two percent of New Orleans’ annual revenue, to address the city’s affordable housing crisis.
Andreanecia Morris, president and chairwoman of the Greater New Orleans Housing Alliance said, “The Housing Trust Fund is a necessary part of long-term storm prep. It will allow us to invest in individual homes and neighborhoods, so our community truly is able to weather the storm. It’s not a new tax. It’s simply a new way of spending our money to strengthen and expand the supply of affordable housing in New Orleans.”
The Housing Trust Fund will be on the November 5 ballot. Funds allocated could be utilized for fixing rental units, providing support to affordable housing developers and expanding programs to help first-time home buyers.
Since its creation in 2007, GNOHA has sought to create change in the Greater New Orleans community through public policy advocacy and public education. The collaborative advocates for the preservation and production of affordable housing for people within the Greater New Orleans metropolitan region and places a special emphasis on the needs of the most vulnerable in society – seniors, people with disabilities, veterans, low-wage workers and low-income families