Homelessness

Hey all,
Finals are busy. Here's an email I received today from Catholic Charities New Orleans that outlines the work they have done within the past month to help the homeless at Duncan Plaza. I found it generally to be a good read. Catholic Charities' care for the homeless and poor in the city present a telling contrast with the drivel posted by some residents on nola.com message boards. The email is below.

Our Response to Homelessness Amen I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.......Matthew 25:40 Catholic Charities Archdiocese of New Orleans has provided services to the homeless since its founding in 1727 by the Ursuline Nuns, who provided shelter for widows and orphaned children. 23 years ago, the Catholic Charities CARE Centers were opened, utilizing a holistic approach that addresses the many issues that lie at the root of homelessness. In the two years since Hurricane Katrina, homelessness in New Orleans has escalated due, in large part, to the shortage of affordable housing. However, the causes of homelessness are complex. Many homless people suffer from mental illness or substance abuse. In addition to economic issues, some are fleeing domestic violence. The encampment of homeless individuals and families in Duncan Plaza, steps from New Orleans City Hall, has been the most visible indication of the growing problem, but it is not the only area where the homeless are living. Homeless individuals and families are sleeping along Claiborne Ave. in the shelter of the interstate, in abandoned buildings and in automobiles. UNITY for the Homeless estimates there are 12,000 homeless people in the New Orleans area but the capacity of the collaborative to house the homeless is at 64% of the pre-Katrina level. As winter closes in, and the holidays approach, many in our community have expressed increasing concern for this population. On November 21, 2007, the day before Thanksgiving, Catholic Charities, in partnership with UNITY for the Homeless, deployed a large number of staff in Duncan Plaza to being implementing a new program called Rapid Re-housing, paid for by a grant from the Department of Social Services and Administered through UNITY. The first day, Catholic Charities workers, along with UNITY and five other agencies, were able to place 62 families/individuals in facilities for sheltering. Catholic Charities alone placed 22 families and 4 men in either motels or shelters. Our staff worked into the night providing assistance. The next week, gift cards were purchased for families needing food, and groceries were purchased for those placed in housing. An intact family with three children was quickly screened and housed. The goal is to place that family in one of our residential programs that will help them find the road to self-sufficiency. The quick work that took place that week was made possible by a $792,051 grant to fund the Rapid Re-housing effort. One Catholic Charities intern single-handedly pre-screened 40 people living at Duncan Plaza. Most of these individuals are now being served by our Community Centers. The new infusion of funds and the successful efforts to assist the homeless population in Duncan Plaza is only the latest chapter in a long story of Catholic Charities' work to help the homeless: Our CARE Center Emergency Shelter provided emergency housing for 356 women, families and children CARE Center provided housing assistance for 315 families that consists of help with a deposit and first month's rent and utilities Baronne Street Transitional Housing provided a residential facility for 108 working, intact families, couples without children and single adults Bridges to Self Sufficiency and Beyond Shelter are transitional housing programs that house 16 homeless families Ciara Community Servicecs and Permanent Housing programs provided housing options for 131 mentally ill individuals Our Community Center programs provide employment services for the homeless as well as supportive housing. These two services often give the homeless the support and skills they need to make the transition away from homlessness. Since Katrina, our case managers have assisted more than 45,000 people Second Harvest Food Bank provides 1.5 million pounds of food each month to the hungry in 23 civil parishes. Food is also provided to a number of homeless shelters, including Ozanam Inn. Second Harvest is now providing MREs to those still living on the street. The Hispanic Apostolate Community Services of Catholic Charities, along with St. Joseph Church, the Presentation Sisters, and the Harry Thompson Center established the St. Joseph Rebuild Center at St. Joseph Church on Tulane Ave. in September 2007. The Rebuild Center serves as a day shelter, and provides basic services such as telephone, showers, laundry and legal services for the homeless. About 140 people use these services daily and up to 175 are provided with a meal each day. Catholic Charities sponsored the foundation of the Providence Community Housing initiative, which plans to develop 7,000 units to house 20,000 residents over the next 5 years. Our sister agency, Christopher Homes, provides 1,200 apartments for low-income seniors Operation Helping Hands has gutted the homes of 1,874 families and has rebuilt 48 homes, with more in development The advocacy and homelessness prevention efforts of Catholic Charities since Hurricane Katrina have provided job training, case management and direct assistance through our Community Centers We recognize that Catholic Charities is not the only ministry of the church that responds to homelessness. We are grateful for the work of the St. Vincent de Paul Society and Ozanam Inn, as well as the many other programs and ministries and church parishes that provide services to the homeless population Our mission statement fully explains our commitment to resolving the problem of those in our community who lack housing: Respecting the dignity and potential of each human person, Catholic Charities Archdiocese of New Orleans collaborates with the wider community to serve those in need. Impelled by the love and teaching of Jesus Christ, we offer life-giving programs, advocate for the voiceleess, and empower the poor and vulnerable to foster a more just society.

NOLA News from Today's Papers

Hey all. Here are some interesting articles about New Orleans from the last few days of papers:

1. Brad Pitt is starting his project of rebuilding the Ninth Ward with his "Make It Right" project of 100 green houses in the area wiped out during Katrina. It seems like a very good project, that is well funded through Pitt's wealth. For now, in order to raise some awareness, Pitt has installed a "pink city" to symbolize where the houses will be. Take a look at the pic from the T-P, which has the Claiborne Avenue bridge in the background. If you've been in the 9th Ward over the past 2+ years, you have to feel good to see this area at least have a little construction.


2. The NYTimes has an insightful article summarizing the rental shortage in New Orleans, time pegged to the announcement last week that FEMA was clearing out all trailer parks. The money quote here comes when a FEMA spokesman tries to justify the policy of kicking out residents without helping to provide housing:
   

   “We know it’s a tough decision, and that’s not lost on us,” he said, but “more and more housing becomes available every day, that’s a fact. The sooner you begin the process, the better. You want to start early and pick what’s right for your family.” He added: “We’re very sensitive to the fact that this isn’t an easy move. But it’s a necessary move.”

3. The NYT also ran an Arts article about the recent performance of Waiting for Godot in the Gentilly and the Ninth Ward about a month back. Though the article focuses on the artist himself for my tastes, it discusses what was supposed to be a great piece of art done in our city. The article was in the top-10 read at the site most of the weekend, which is good, as many people from around the country were reading and emailing it to their friends. The Times has been giving some very expert, nuanced coverage to relevant issues down here in the past few weeks.


4. Finally, a little more info about flood protection. There were a number of agencies investigating the levee breaches after Katrina, but the independent groups from the University of California and LSU are now alleging that their investigations were purposely disrupted by the Army Corps of Engineers. Read more about it at levees.org, which has nearly single-handedly kept the issue on the agenda.

Try out the comments section below. I'd love to get some discussions going.

That's all for now,
Bob

Interesting New Orleans articles from today's papers

A few interesting articles from today's newspapers:

1. This is from yesterday's T-P, but FEMA has announces it is going to close all trailer parks within 6 months.
   
   The FEMA spokesman frames the news as showing that FEMA is "being compassionate and making sure we have people taken care of with housing." But a Loyola law clinic lawyer says that FEMA has not helped previous trailer park residents find housing. The other issue about FEMA trailers is the never-answered questions about formaldehyde in the trailers. Testing has never been done on them.


2. On another housing-related issue for the poor/working poor, the housing projects around N.O. are slated for demolition December 15th. The article fails to mention any pending lawsuits/appeals to the demolition.
   
   One should also look at the blog comments below any public housing article on nola.com. There are some ignorant/racist comments on there, but there are also a few with different perspectives on the destruction of the projects, including the less compelling argument about important city architecture.


3. A T-P cover story marks the end of hurricane season.
   Anytime Mark Schliefstein writes something, you ought to read it. He is the T-P reporter about things like flood protection, wetlands, etc. He is always able to steer through the b-s peddled to him by the city, state, and federal bureaucracies and get to the heart of the issues. Here, he reviews how hurricanes avoided doing major damage in the U.S. this year, while pointing out the impossibility of predicting these things well.
   Most important thing here: the issue of hurricane forecasting is developing all the time. The predictions frequently are way off (as they have luckily been the last two years), but not because the scientists are bad at their jobs. Instead, the science is developing at such speed that every year yields new insights about how to more accurately predict hurricanes.


4. Finally, a nice travel piece from the NYTimes about some different places to visit around the city. It includes a few different places I haven't been before, in addition to Musician's Village (the go-to feel good place for tourists to visit after viewing the destruction), Ray's Boom Boom Room and Ignatius. Ignatius has good alligator po-boys.

That's all for now.