Mayor Nagin released this statement concerning homelessness in New Orleans area:
As the City Council's Housing and Human Needs Committee meets today to discuss the proposed Public Habitation ordinance, I encourage the committee members to give favorable consideration to the proposal and forward it to the full City Council for quick action. Without this ordinance, our ability to effectively address this homelessness challenge is severely limited.
The Public Habitation ordinance is a critical tool that will greatly enhance our ability to address issues of homelessness in New Orleans, as well as to impact issues of public camping, such as is occurring near the intersection of Claiborne Avenue and Canal Street.
Statistics from the New Orleans Police Department Homeless Assistance Unit, Unity of Greater New Orleans and the New Orleans Mission indicate that 60 to 80 people are in the encampment each night. This is also an issue of public health and safety, as there have been complaints about human waste in the area.
I take the issue of homelessness very seriously and since last fall, the Administration has worked feverishly to provide resources for the city's homeless. As you are aware, my Office of Public Advocacy provided assistance in the form of case management, food, clothing, utility assistance and referrals for medical and mental care, job training and educational resources to more than 1,000 people last year. In addition to our regular allocation to them, the City provided an additional allocation of $264,000 to UNITY of Greater New Orleans to provide homeless people living at DuncanPlaza with case management, temporary hotel stays and assistance in moving into rental units. We also advocated on behalf of UNITY, which led to the release of millions of dollars to UNITY from the state for homelessness service provision.
Following the establishment of the camp on Claiborne Avenue, the City provided $100,000 to the New Orleans Mission, which constructed a structural tent to increase and supplement bed capacity at the mission. The Mission now has capacity for men, women and women with children. The Mission, in accordance with our requests, now has a day room, which means that people who need housing are able to stay there without being required to leave the following morning. Working with City resources and our community partners, we are providing the types of services that will help homeless citizens regain then maintain their independence. These services include medical and mental health care, job training and placement, case management and counseling services.
I recognize that this is not the long-term solution to homelessness in New Orleans. We are pursuing federal funds to support the provision of emergency, temporary and permanent housing. Best practices have demonstrated that permanent supportive housing, which provides not only a residence but the case management and support services to help ensure that the formerly homeless remain housed. We view this as the best solution to our homelessness problem, as well. I also am working with the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness on a 10-Year Plan to End Homelessness.
But these are long-term solutions and we need to continue to do everything that we can to address homelessness now. As you are aware, nearly every community faces these issues. The situation is exacerbated in New Orleans because Hurricane Katrina destroyed much of our rental housing stock. My staff has sought creative short-term solutions. We need the full cooperation of the City Council to continue our forward movement.
The Public Habitation ordinance will allow the City to better assist the homeless - both those who are citizens of New Orleans and those who recently moved here from elsewhere. These are issues of human needs, public safety and public health and we need every available resource to properly address them. Thank you for giving this your positive consideration today.
What you get out of something, and what its relevance in comparison to anything else is theoretically supposed’ to be relative or proportionate to what you put into it. Written by ...Systemic approaches anyone?????
on 4/22/2008
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A few weeks ago you guys wrote about lousy annas brain trust (or lack there of) why dont you educate them in the schools that have room instead of throwing money into some bureuacrats pocket that wont fix anything and only tell you that the problem is getting bigger and he needs more money Written by lil dab il du
on 4/22/2008
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Oh, come on Mr Mayor. You certainly pushed for urgent action to move these poor people from your view at your office using the pending immediate demolition of the state buildings on the park so that they moved to the much more dangerous and dismal area under the highway, and that was months ago. Written by noladude
on 4/21/2008
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