We are starting this month still in the midst of our state’s legislative session, which could last through June 11. We have updates about that below, as well as details on our yearly month-long celebration in June: “30 Days of Housing Justice.” Finally, we’re here to remind you of your rights as a renter as the summer heat sets in. Let’s dive in.
Legislative Updates
Last month, we informed you of six housing bills that had been filed at the state legislature. The session will continue for the first two weeks of June, which means that we are as of yet uncertain just how all those bills will turn out.
What we have seen thus far in session, though, is an enduring misunderstanding of the causes of housing insecurity and homelessness on the part of our elected officials and their staffs. We have heard our senators and House representatives justify bills that would criminalize homelessness or undo eviction protections with talking points about the alleged differences between people who are looking for a “hand out” instead of a “hand up,” implying that too many unstably-housed and homeless individuals are simply unwilling to help themselves. Similarly, we’ve been regaled with bill authors’ and government officials’ comments about all the hundreds of unhoused people who refuse “the carrot” of housing and services and so now must be threatened with “the stick” of jail time for being unhoused. As you may have guessed, somehow, none of those of us who work in housing have ever met any of these hundreds of individuals who are refusing housing and services.
Despite the letdown of our elected officials’ combined lack of insight and significant power to wreak havoc, we’ve also seen the strength of our collective response. At multiple committee meetings, legislators have commented on the extent to which their phone lines and email inboxes have been “blowing up” with concerns about certain bills, which demonstrates the significance of our own participation in interrupting legislative harm. As of writing this update, a bill criminalizing homelessness, SB 196, has been held on the Senate floor vote for over a week, avoiding a vote due to advocates’ concerns. And another that bans public camping, HB 619, has been delayed for over two weeks from moving out of its committee due to significant pushback from advocates, individuals with lived experience of homelessness, and service providers.
So stay tuned and follow us online for continued updates on the session (Instagram: @janeplace_communitylandtrust).
June at Jane Place: 30 Days of Housing Justice
For the third year in a row, Jane Place will be observing a month-long celebration of “30 Days of Housing Justice” this June. Throughout the month, we’ll have different educational and community events to equip you with the knowledge, resources, and community power you need to fight for housing rights in New Orleans! See below for the full list and please join us!
Sunday, June 1
10:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Tour of Cooperative Housing, Land Trusts, and Collectives in Mid-City
Meet at Coffee Science
410 S. Broad St.
Text 504-517-5470 to sign up.
Wednesday, June 4
5:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Canvass & Phone Banking for Housing Justice
Email frank@jpnsi.org for more info on how to join!
Thursday, June 5
6 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Monthly Renters Rights Assembly Meeting & Housing Legal Clinic
First Grace UMC, 3401 Canal St.
(Enter via back parking lot)
Saturday, June 7
11 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Jane Place Annual Members Meeting
Coffee Science, 410 S. Broad St.
Email frank@jpnsi.org to RSVP
Saturday, June 21
12 p.m. – 6 p.m.
30 Days of Housing Justice Celebration & Resource Fair
First Grace UMC, 3401 Canal St.
(Enter via back parking lot)
Wednesday, June 25
6 p.m. – 8 p.m.
“Know Your Rights, Know Your Power” Workshop
200 S. Broad St., 2nd Floor, Suite 600/2A
(Text/Call 504-517-5470 if lost)
Summer’s Start: Your Right to A/C
While summer doesn’t officially start until June 20, temperatures are already creeping up and will be high for months to come. And, as of January 1, 2024, YOU are entitled to air conditioning in your New Orleans rental! If you’re sweating inside, grab a thermometer (if your home A/C system doesn’t come with a temperature read screen) and verify if your rental meets the minimum standards set out by the City’s Healthy Homes Ordinance, which are that your rental must provide a “cooling system capable of maintaining a maximum bedroom temperature of 80 degrees Farenheit three feet above the floor and two feet from exterior walls.” That means that your room should not be hotter than 80 degrees this summer!
If temperatures are too high in your apartment, document the issue and send it to your landlord or property manager, with photos of the temperature read included, asking for better temperature control. Then, and especially if your landlord is unresponsive (or has already been non-responsive to you bringing this issue up previously), you can send your same documentation of the issue to the City as a Healthy Homes complaint. You can send the complaint via phone by calling 311, or online by using nola311.org and selecting to start a new service request. You can upload your photo(s) via the online portal and you will also be able to track your complaint more easily if you create it online. To tend to your complaint, the City is supposed to follow up with you and, when needed, to send out an inspector to your home so they can verify the issue and fine your landlord for the habitability violation accordingly.
Another part of the Healthy Homes ordinance is an anti-retaliation clause, which prevents your landlord from evicting you for making a complaint via the portal.
If you have any questions about your housing issues or making a 311 complaint this summer, please do reach out to us at our Renters Rights Hotline: 504-539-4504. We’re happy to do our best to keep you informed—and hopefully cool—this summer!
This space is provided to Jane Place Neighborhood Sustainability Initiative as a community service and does not necessarily reflect the opinions or editorial policies of ANTIGRAVITY.
