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By Hugh Cameron
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Residents near New Orleans' new Transitional Center are expressing frustration with authorities over the sudden relocation plan and disapproval over the treatment of the city's unhoused population.
With the National Football League's Super Bowl LIX coming to the city next month, residents of the Gentilly Woods and Pontchartrain Park neighborhoods were reportedly unaware of the plan to relocate homeless individuals from downtown prior to Monday's announcement. One resident told WVUEthat the new facility sparked concerns about drug use, vandalism and theft in the surrounding areas.
"There's a lot of concerns that were not addressed that, if we had been at the table, we could have at least had a say-so in it," Pontchartrain Park Neighborhood Association President Michael Carey said.
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"You're shuffling people around because the Super Bowl is coming," the Gentilly Woods Subdivision Association president said, adding that the city's homeless "want stability and need a place to be. Not just thinking about them when you have something coming to town and you don't want them to be seen."
A representative from a charity supporting New Orleans' unhoused population described the initiative to Newsweek as "truly a horrifying and inhumane way to treat people that are part of our community."
Newsweek has contacted the office of Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry for comment.
Why It Matters
New Orleans' Caesars Superdome will host Super Bowl LIX on February 5, and the city's homeless population has been relocated to the new center from downtown areas surrounding the stadium.
In his Monday announcement, Landry said that the recent New Year's Day terror attack meant it was "in the best interest of every citizen's safety and security to give the unhoused humane and safe shelter as we begin to welcome the world to the City of New Orleans for both Super Bowl LIX and Mardi Gras." Landry also cited a recent fire under the Interstate 10 bridge and the low temperatures as prompting the initiative.
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Mike Steele, communications director at the Louisiana Governor's Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Preparedness (GOHSEP), said that the areas from which homeless individuals had been relocated were deemed "high security priority" by law enforcement given their proximity to the stadium.
What To Know
On Wednesday morning, police informed those living under the Pontchartrain Expressway and in the French Quarter encampments that they would have to relocate to the warehouse facility, the Associated Press reported.
"No one [was] forced to go to this facility," Steele told Newsweek. "They just couldn't stay where they were."
But Sarah Parks, executive director at Grace at the Green Light, a charity offering support to New Orleans' unhoused population, told Newsweek that many of those who were relocated were "threatened with arrest or legal action" if they refused to go to the facility.
According to AP, the facility is estimated to cost $16.2 million to operate over a 90-day period, and has capacity for 200 individuals, with 132 accommodated as of Thursday.
In October, Landry ordered the relocation of about 75 from a homeless encampment ahead of three Taylor Swift concerts at the Caesars Superdome, APreported at the time. A representative of the governor said: "As we prepare for the city to host Taylor Swift and Super Bowl LIX, we are committed to ensuring New Orleans puts its best foot forward when on the world stage."
What People Are Saying
Matthew Willard, member of the Louisiana House of Representatives, told WVUE: "It really would have been great to have a seat at the table to discuss of the plan with the governor and his team."
Sarah Parks, executive director at Grace at the Green Light, told Newsweek that the sweeps of the encampments that have taken place this week "show a lack of dignity and concern for our unhoused population who rely on resources and services that are provided in downtown New Orleans."
"Many unhoused have already reported that all of their personal property has been taken away and then once they arrive at the Transition Center they are unable to find their property. This includes things such as medication, vital documents, and other personal property that is vital for the unhoused person's health, safety, and access to resources... There were reports from the unhoused that there were no beds there when they arrived, the warehouse was cold, and there were no resources."
Governor Jeff Landry, in a statement issued Monday: "With the recent ISIS terrorist attack, the Dec 8th fire under I-10, frigid temperatures, and the destruction of the riverfront streetcar line, it is in the best interest of every citizen's safety and security to give the unhoused humane and safe shelter as we begin to welcome the world to the City of New Orleans for both Super Bowl LIX and Mardi Gras."
What Happens Next?
Steele said that the transitional facility will be operational for a provisional period of two months, but that timeframe was not set in stone and could be extended depending on the success of the related initiatives to re-house the people. Those at the facility will be offered assistance in traveling out of New Orleans, provided they have proof that a relative or friend is able and willing to house them, he added.
For those who are still at the facility following its closure, Steele said that returning to their former encampments "is not an option."
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