Stories
Hegira: A Flight to Escape Danger
July 20, 2011
Technically it’s not homeless; at least not tonight. Instead of steering our blue outreach van toward the abyss of vacant buildings and into the darkened neighborhoods of New Orleans, we head to the neon glow of the West Bank Expressway. Our guy has hollowed out...
Homelessness in New Orleans: The Big Picture
July 5, 2011
Homelessness in New Orleans remains a pervasive crisis in our community. There are 9,165 persons meeting the HUD definition of homelessness in New Orleans and Jefferson Parish on any given night. This report provides an in-depth analysis of homelessness in our community, including factors leading...
TIME: Abandoned but Not Uninhabited: The Blighted Homes of New Orleans
June 7, 2011
[caption id="attachment_1453" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Mike Miller spends his days and nights doing outreach work with New Orleans' homeless, looking to help "the sickest of the sick." Jesse Hardman for TIME"][/caption] By Jesse Hardman / New Orleans Monday, June 06, 2011 "Don't throw up now," Mike King says...
The Times-Picayune: Conversion of Former Nursing Home on Esplanade Ave. Hits a Series of Snags
June 7, 2011
[caption id="attachment_1447" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="A team of four housing nonprofit groups wants to turn the former Bethany Home nursing home at 2535 Esplanade Ave. into apartments for 40 formerly homeless and low-income tenants."][/caption] Published: Monday, June 06, 2011, 8:00 AM By Stephen Babcock, The Times-Picayune The Times-Picayune Despite...
UNITY Releases Point In Time Report: Homelessness in Greater New Orleans
June 3, 2011
Homelessness remains a daunting problem in New Orleans and Jefferson Parish, 5 1/2 years after the nation's largest housing disaster when the levees failed following Hurricane Katrina in August 2005. Despite the fact that the city of New Orleans has only about 80% of its...
The Times-Picayune: Homeless Population in New Orleans Rises 70 Percent since Hurricane Katrina
June 3, 2011
Published: Thursday, June 02, 2011, 9:45 PM By Katy Reckdahl, The Times-Picayune The homeless population in Orleans and Jefferson parishes stands at 9,200, 70 percent higher than before Hurricane Katrina, with the largest share of people living in abandoned buildings, according to counts and estimates released Thursday...
WWLTV: UNITY Combats Homeless Problem in New Orleans
June 3, 2011
Jill Hezeau / Eyewitness News The numbers are staggering: Officials with the organization UNITY of Greater New Orleans reported the city has one of the highest homeless rates in the country. Since Hurricane Katrina, the number of people homeless in Orleans and Jefferson parishes has increased by...
Fox 8 News: Numbers Show Homeless Problem is Getting Better
June 3, 2011
New Orleans - Some major progress when it comes to getting a hold on the homeless crisis in New Orleans and Jefferson Parish. Numbers released this morning by the organization, UNITY of Greater New Orleans, show the area is making headway tackling the post Katrina epidemic. Since the organization...
Sleep
May 9, 2011
It’s the most physically demanding, mentally challenging and exhausting kind of social work there is. While the greatest occupational hazards of a lot of my colleagues are the occasional paper cut or the draining hum of overhead florescent lighting, I managed to stab my foot...