Andreanecia M. Morris | Affordable Housing
Executive Director, HousingNOLA
Andreanecia Morris founded HousingNOLA after spending 20 years working to create affordable housing opportunities in the Greater New Orleans area in both the public and private sector. A 10-year partnership between the Greater New Orleans Housing Alliance (GNOHA), the Foundation for Louisiana, the City’s Office of Housing and Community Development, and dozens of public, private and nonprofit organizations, HousingNOLA is working to address the need for 33,600 additional housing opportunities in the city by 2025.
Morris also serves as president/chairwoman for the GNOHA Board of Governors. In April 2016, UNITY of Greater New Orleans named Morris its Outstanding Advocate for Affordable Housing.
Could you describe the situation in the New Orleans area in regard to affordable housing? How do we compare to other cities of the same size?
While many cities are struggling with affordability, New Orleans is unique. Though the housing issues we face are diverse — whether it’s skyrocketing rent, soaring insurance costs, substandard rental conditions, or, for many of our residents, barriers to obtaining housing — these problems are all interrelated and must be addressed as a whole. Almost 60 percent of New Orleanians spend more than a third of their income on housing and decision makers don’t prioritize housing because of the stigma associated with the term “affordable housing.” The housing market in the City of New Orleans and the State of Louisiana are precariously balanced and poised to falter without deliberate intervention. In New Orleans there is now a sense of urgency around the issues of equity, displacement and the right of self-determination for neighborhoods.
Can you talk a bit about the highlights of the HousingNOLA 10-year strategy and implementation plan?
The HousingNOLA 10-year Strategy and Implementation Plan, released on December 10, 2015, indicates the need for 33,600 additional affordable units in the city by 2025. Further, the data clearly shows that wages have not come close to mirroring the dramatic rise in housing costs. Since 2000, New Orleans home values and rents have both more than doubled. Fifty-five percent of New Orleanians are now “cost-burdened,” spending more than a third of their income on housing costs. The city ranks second in the nation for the percentage of renters paying more than half of their income on housing (37 percent).
HousingNOLA aims to facilitate the creation of 5,000 affordable housing opportunities by 2021, encompassing 2,000 rentals, 1,500 home purchases, and 1,500 units for people with special needs, such as the homeless, the elderly, veterans and people with disabilities. HousingNOLA also calls on local and state officials to identify dedicated revenue sources to preserve and expand an additional 9,080 safe, affordable homes for all New Orleanians by 2025.
HousingNOLA established goals and strategies to inform the creation of affordable housing options for all New Orleans residents. It guides policy makers in determining what funding and policy for housing should look like, based upon what New Orleanians want. Since responsibility of this plan goes beyond the realm of our elected officials, this plan will live on even as mayors, city councilmembers and other elected officials come and go. Inclusiveness and community participation in developing the housing plan are the two most important factors in determining whether HousingNOLA is a success. The diversity of participation is reflected at every level of the HousingNOLA process.
What accomplishments are you proudest of in terms of addressing this problem?
The 10-year Strategy and Implementation Plan has been embraced by New Orleans housing advocates and city leaders. The following major policy victories have already been achieved:
• The City of New Orleans’ Neighborhood Housing Improvement Fund (NHIF) has been dedicated to homeowner and renter rehabilitation in order to create neighborhood stability across the city;
• We worked with the City of New Orleans City Planning Commission to begin a study on mandatory inclusionary zoning;
• The Housing Authority of New Orleans (HANO) has implemented the criminal background check policy it adopted in 2013;
• FEMA has reclassified East Bank neighborhoods as Flood Zone X which should result in lower flood insurance costs;
• We coordinated with local stakeholders as a part of the Energy Efficiency for All (EFFA) coalition, a national collaboration to promote energy efficiency policies in multifamily and affordable housing;
• We worked with the Louisiana Housing Alliance and Capital Area Alliance for the Homeless to educate developers on using Medicaid to fund supportive services through the annual State Housing and Homeless Conference;
• Governor Edwards signed SB610 a bill that calls for predictable and reasonable tax valuation for affordable housing multi-family properties; and
• With Housing for Resilient New Orleans, the City of New Orleans is coordinating disposition efforts of HANO, NORA and the City with available funding (HOME, Low Income Housing Tax Credits, and the Neighborhood Housing Investment Fund) for affordable housing development to create the highest possible number of affordable units. Housing for Resilient New Orleans also insures that the New Orleans Redevelopment Authority and HANO continue to prioritize residential development on their available inventory.
But personally, I’m most proud of the fact that we’ve been able to develop a plan with citizens and decision makers at the table and continue to keep all parties engaged and open to addressing the issue.
What is the biggest challenge in tackling affordable housing? How can it be overcome?
The need for a comprehensive housing plan in New Orleans has become very clear. Unfortunately, too many refuse to admit that there is a problem around housing, instead focusing on symptoms instead of systems. This makes our efforts even more vital — we must continue our strategic advocacy, aggressive engagement and innovative effectiveness to shepherd meaningful change through sustainable impact.
