NEW ORLEANS — District ‘B’ Councilmember Lesli Harris, who chairs the Quality of Life Committee and has been an advocate for affordable housing, issued the following statement in response to BGR’s new report on the Housing Trust Fund which can be read here. This is Harris’s response:
The proposed Housing Trust Fund charter amendment will appear on voters’ November 5 ballots and, if approved, will dedicate two percent of the City’s annual budget to ensuring residents have access to affordable rental housing and homeownership opportunities.
Fundamentally, BGR agrees that the City should establish a Housing Trust Fund. They acknowledge the housing crisis and the necessity of the City making year-over-year investments. Indeed, they praise this initiative and the transparency measures we have included if the charter amendment passes.
Ultimately, however, BGR fails to consider the fact that an ordinance can be repealed at any time. If that occurs in this case, we will go back to investing zero City dollars into our residents’ housing. They will lose needed money for fortifying their roofs, access to truly affordable rental units, and thriving neighborhoods near work, schools, grocery stores, and transit – something every New Orleanian wants.
We do not need temporary solutions to our very real housing crisis. We need year-over-year investment by the City to spur the economy, support our residents, and attract private investment. That is why the Housing Trust Fund charter amendment received the unanimous support of the City Council and countless community organizations.
Plainly, BGR endorses a short-sighted plan of throwing money at the problem rather than making a long-term investment. They prefer a failsafe backup option rather than a proposition for real change.
But this is not the time for failsafe options. Now is the time for the real, long-term solutions provided by the Housing Trust Fund.
More information about the Housing Trust Fund is available at yestonolahousing.com.
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