NEW ORLEANS -- Local organizations warn that the homeless population could spike if the city doesn't do more to address rising rent and the opioid epidemic.
As Pastor Gregory Hawthorne unloads box after box of food and clothing for the homeless living under the Claiborne overpass, he notices that the problem seems to be getting worse, not better.
"We see the need, there's such a great need in New Orleans," Hawthorne said. "We've seen it grow, we've definitely seen it grow."
Hawthorne comes with a church group from Florida that's been making the trip since Hurricane Katrina hit to help the homeless.
Martha Kegel is the Executive Director for Unity of Greater New Orleans. She says the number of homeless people in New Orleans has actually been decreasing, but she's worried that could change.
"There's a lot of danger signs in the data showing a constant inflow of new people becoming homeless, as fast as we're housing homeless people a new person is coming to take the place of a person we just housed," Kegel said.
The Executive Director of the New Orleans Mission thinks drug addiction problems could be the reason. Kegel points to something else.
"Rents have sky rocketed in our city, rents are very unaffordable especially for our lowest income people," Kegel said.
She's also noticed homeless camps are spreading out across the city, popping up in the Irish Channel and along Esplanade. Volunteers noticed this as well.
"They're scattered all over the city, they're everywhere," Hawthorne said.
He hopes city leaders can find a solution to the problem. In the meantime, he'll continue to do what he can because for those he's helping it makes all the difference.
"It's a blessing, right now this is my last pair of clean clothes I have and I was wondering what am I gonna wear the rest of the week or the rest of the month," Nicole Steele said after taking donated clothes from the church.
A city spokesperson says teams working with the homeless have not seen an increase in the population. He also said multiple city agencies work to help the homeless find services and shelters.