NEW ORLEANS — As city and state leaders clash over homeless encampments in New Orleans, Lesli Harris and other city leaders are advocating for a long-term solution that’s already in the works.
That solution, the Housing Trust Fund, is a proposition set as a charter amendment currently listed on the ballot for voters in New Orleans.
It would guarantee 2% of the city’s general fund to be reallocated to the affordable housing plan.
Harris and other members of the homeless coalition expressed their frustration Wednesday after Governor Jeff Landry ordered Louisiana State troopers and DOTD to sweep a homeless encampment.
Hours before that encampment sweep, Harris said during a Zoom interview with WWL Louisiana that the charter amendment would provide a robust plan to the Cresent City’s homeless crisis.
“If we have additional rental units, if we have additional housing stability, then that means there is housing available for people in the encampments. There are a lot of people there (encampments), including one of my former neighbors who have lost housing not because of mental health issues, not because of addiction, but simply because they have lost their housing,” Harris said.
The Housing Trust Fund is potentially a viable source of affordable housing. It would not only create livable units for the homeless community but could also make homeownership more accessible for more people and lessen the cost of insurance and construction.
In agreement with city leaders, the CEO of the Bureau of Governmental Research, Rebecca Mowbray, says she supports affordable housing and appreciates that the council is making a real effort to address it.
However, she said that based on a study by her non-profit research group, the 2% mandate from the city’s general fund is too restrictive on the overall budget—especially if a financial or environmental crisis emerges.
“They could take all of the terrific thinking about the administrative structure with the charter change and simply bring it over to the backup ordinance and accomplish the exact same things,” said Mowbray.
If voters reject the charter amendment, the ordinance backup plan, the Affordable and Workforce Housing Fund, will trigger.
The backup plan would start at $20 million and rise with inflation, but it would not guarantee any city dollars. The money would center around federal grants, and the first appropriation would take place in 2026.
If the voters approve the amendment to the city’s charter, the first required appropriation—estimated at $17 million—will be available for the Housing Trust Fund by 2026.
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