Building Resolve, Forgoing Resolutions
It’s a new year, and change is on the horizon, from the White House to City Hall. New Orleans is ramping up to its Mayoral election in October, meaning that we’re less than 10 months away from picking the next head of our local government, and we will be filling at least two (if not more) City Council seats at the same time, depending on how many councilmembers choose to either seek other offices or leave local government.
While those seeking to either join City Council or take over the mayorship have already begun making their announcements, and too many terrifying and life-threatening federal-level changes loom over our heads, we at Jane Place are challenging ourselves to not give over to exhaustion and despair. We are similarly aiming to avoid being distracted by the coming year’s worth of local electoral promises of change that will be made by folks who are… mostly the same people who have already been in charge of the ability to change things. Many such promises are made with less seriousness than a New Year’s resolution, and so let’s not let the political circus distract us from what’s already happening and that no one currently working in any level of politics has succeeded in stopping: The rent is too damn high, our long-time neighbors are being displaced, and our officials have facilitated the prioritization of profit over people.
Whatever happens in the coming months, we’re building our resolve to stay focused on those most affected by housing injustice, from tenants in eviction court to renters priced out by short-term rentals. We’ll be fighting for all New Orleanians’ rights to live safely and with dignity in housing they can afford all year long, and we are inviting you to join us in this effort. Below, we’re giving a brief crash course in some of the most pressing dimensions of the struggle for housing justice in New Orleans. Read up and join us!
Short-Term Rentals (STRs)
The year will start under the double weight of the Super Bowl and Mardi Gras season—fewer than 200 city listings appear available on Airbnb for Super Bowl weekend, with the lowest price per night being over $400. Over 7,100 listings for city STRs generally have availability on Airbnb, per the data from STR watchdog site InsideAirbnb.com, meaning more than 5,000 Airbnbs that could house our long-term neighbors will be occupied by tourists that weekend. The City’s database indicates that only 2,131 STR permits have been issued—thus, about 5,000 STRs are also already operating illegally on a consistent basis in our city. New regulations aimed at stopping the proliferation of STRs and holding STR companies like Airbnb accountable go into effect later this year, but given the lack of meaningful enforcement thus far… we’ll wait to be impressed.
Habitability Crises and Healthy Homes
Last month, we spoke at length about The Willows, an apartment complex in New Orleans East where residents are plagued by mold, roaches, failing infrastructure, and even bats. Residents remain there and at Rue Parc Fontaine, another complex neglected by the same owner on the Westbank. While City Council revoked both these properties’ tax exemptions earlier this year, nothing meaningful has otherwise yet been done to relocate tenants from these dangerous properties. Healthy Homes, a relatively new City program aimed at codifying and enforcing City rental standards, will receive an increase in staff this year per some recent budget changes, so we’ll see if conditions for tenants actually improve despite no monies being allocated to funds that could help pay for tenants’ moving expenses.
Evictions and Rental Assistance
As of mid-December, 5,802 evictions had been filed in New Orleans Civil District Court (CDC) in 2024. The City’s emergency rental assistance program (ERAP), which was enabled by federal pandemic funding, was cut off with minimal notice over the summer, and the eviction rate has risen by 10 percentage points in the second half of the year. Due to the current chief judge in CDC having been elected to a seat in the State Court of Appeals, a judge seat in CDC will also open up in the new year—variance in average eviction rates among City judges is as large as 20%, meaning that judges play a large role in determining if New Orleanians facing eviction can stay in their homes or when they must leave. We’ll be sharing updates throughout the year on the continued fight for sustained rental assistance, news on filling the vacant judge seat, and tenant protections in eviction court.
Housing Affordability and Accessibility
This is a big one, and indeed it’s the biggest one. Rent is ever-increasing in the city and waitlists for subsidized housing can keep applicants waiting for a decade. Indeed, City-hired consultants recently determined that there is a shortage of as many as 47,000 affordable units in the city. Even those who can pay or who have already received a voucher subsidy to help pay their rent will encounter access barriers—a discriminatory state bill making it harder for individuals with support animals to have their documentation accepted by a housing provider went into effect in August, and Louisiana continues to allow landlords to outright refuse all housing subsidies. Such barriers will only grow if those in government continue to prioritize profits over people when crafting housing policy.
So, what can we do about it? We can build our resolve to fight for housing justice collectively. We are stronger together, so please—join us! See our events in the sidebar for how you can get plugged in.
Upcoming Fun Events, Workshops, and How to Connect
Wanna get involved? Get informed? Join us at these events!
Renters’ Rights Workshop
Wednesday 1/15
6-8 p.m.
Parish Hall
2533 Columbus St. 70119
Housing Justice: What We Want (Discussion)
Wednesday 1/29
6-8 p.m.
Parish Hall
2533 Columbus St. 70119
New Orleans Renters’ Rights Assembly (and Renters’ Rights Clinic)
Thursday 2/6
6-8 p.m.
First Grace UMC (entrance through back parking lot)
3401 Canal St. 70119
For more information, go to jpnsi.org.
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.
