NEW ORLEANS — Under the elevated portion of Interstate-10 in New Orleans, state lawmakers say there’s an issue.
“The encampments are mainly in right of ways,” said New Orleans Representative Alonzo Knox. “Unfortunately, some of our local municipalities have been challenged in addressing this issue.”
To help address the issue, Rep. Knox is ushering a resolution through the state capitol. It urges the Department of Transportation and Development to work with local housing and public safety organizations to find solutions to homeless encampments.
“It’s a complicated problem,” said Greg Hardy with the Department of Transportation and Development. “People living there because they’ve got no place to go and intermingled with activity that is not safe and criminal.”
Knox’s resolution focuses on Interstate-10 in New Orleans, but lawmakers on the House Transportation, Highways, and Public Works Committee hope it leads to something bigger.
“We need to not only look at New Orleans, but I think throughout the state there’s an issue and it’s the safety and welfare of the homeless,” said Rep. Vincent Pierre of Lafayette during a committee meeting Monday before the resolution passed favorably.
Jefferson Parish leaders are already making efforts. They broke ground last month on a $1.3 million state-funded project.
“We’re looking at fencing and stuff like that,” said District Two Councilman Deano Bonano.
Bonano says a long stretch of the area underneath the Westbank Expressway will be renovated and landscaped in a way to discourage encampments from popping up.
“They’re living under the Westbank Expressway, they’re living under Earhart, under Causeway and all areas throughout the parish,” Bonano said. “You just can’t wave a wand and make it go away.”
Using settlement money from the opioid lawsuit, Bonano says the council will even create a task force this week to identify needed services and how to deliver them.
“You need to have the opportunity to treat them both for their mental health and their addictions, but a lot of these people haven’t had medical care in a long time too,” Bonano said.
Fellow lawmakers on the house committee want Knox to bring mental health agencies to the table as well. He says he will.
“I hope you find some great solutions that we can use,” said Rep. Barbara Freiberg during Monday’s meeting.
Lawmakers hope those solutions will expand to interstates and highways across the state
“I think it’s something that maybe could be brought back next year, in the next session, if we’re able to get something together that’s worthwhile,” Hardy said.
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