New Orleans area Habitat for Humanity celebrates the resiliency and recovery in Jefferson Parish at Habitat’s first home in Lafitte, followed by a seafood boil for the community.
Last year, HousingNOLA reported a housing shortage of 29,402 units in New Orleans, meaning that those with the lowest income in the city were competing against people of all income levels for shelter. Because of this, 93% of those making below 50% of median family income paid more than a third of their income for housing every month. As the cost of electricity has increased significantly in the past year, many of these families are seeing another significant portion of their income (an average of 18%) lost before they can address other needs.
These issues have only gotten worse as cost of living has increased across the board in the past year. Meanwhile, major disasters and rising costs have also made maintenance and repairs inaccessible for many in the New Orleans area, especially seniors (who make up nearly a quarter of the population).
There is an urgent need for affordable housing and home repair. When this need is met, families see improvement in all areas of their lives, from education to jobs to health. The Cost of Home initiative has improved access to affordable housing for 6.45 million people across the country through changes to state, local, and federal policies. In the New Orleans area, we have fought for healthy homes and zoning ordinances for access to senior housing. Your support for Cost of Home and other New Orleans Habitat programs helps address these needs through policy changes that affect millions.
