Katrina Survey Supports Demolition Plan

Most Displaced Public Housing Residents Don't Want To Return To Their Old Buildings

(AP)  A majority of public housing residents dispersed by Hurricane Katrina do not want to return to the old brick buildings they lived in before the storm, according to a survey by the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The results were significant because housing officials have argued that the poor people who lived in public housing were not beholden to life in the old complexes, which were plagued by crime and malfunctioning apartments.

HUD said the survey released Thursday, validated its plan to demolish four sprawling complexes and replace them with mixed-income, mixed-use neighborhoods.

Critics and many residents, however, have complained that the demolition plan runs counter to the wishes of residents and will wind up shrinking the amount of cheap housing and drive poor black people out of the city.

Donald Babers, a HUD official appointed to head the Housing Authority of New Orleans, said the survey results highlight what the agency has been "saying for the past two years."

"Most families do want to return, but they want to return to a better home and a better environment and don't want to return to the concentrations of deteriorating, obsolete public housing that they left," Babers said.

The survey got in touch with 2,109 of New Orleans' 5,100 public housing families. About half of those surveyed had already moved back to New Orleans by the time the survey was done between October 2007 and February.

The other half, those who had not moved back to New Orleans, fell into two main groups: 34 percent said they wanted housing vouchers when they got back to New Orleans and 37 percent said they did not want to return to New Orleans. Only about 13 percent of the residents said they wanted to return to public housing in New Orleans. About 70 percent of the displaced residents want to come back to New Orleans, the survey found.

The survey was conducted by the University of Texas at Arlington and Survey Communications Inc. of Baton Rouge. HUD was asked to do the survey by U.S. House members concerned that New Orleans' poor were being left out of the city's rebuilding.

Sheila Crowley, the president of the National Low Income Housing Coalition, said she was concerned about how many of New Orleans' public housing residents were not surveyed.

"That's a lot of people whose preferences we do not know about," she said. "I am worried about where the rest of the residents are."

Housing advocates say the hurricane-hit region is in the midst of a housing crisis and that it will become even more acute as more people are forced out of their government trailers in the coming months.

[keithle1]

Any idiot woman with a uterus can have a baby. That''s the problem.

"Why would anyone want to live below sea level in a hurricane zone?" Good question, gopack443

[tbweb]

Maybe Public Housing should be temporary trailers, but of a good quality, mobile that can be moved around if necessary and easily replaceable. Like Public Welfare Public Housing should be temporary until people can get on their feet, not a permanent way of life.

[cbutler69]

You know you can build a housing complex regardless of what the rent cost and the people are what make it or break it. I wouldnt have wanted to go back into those buildings either but just because it is low cost of living doesnt mean it has to be a dump,If people live that way then that is what theywill have. If your dad is a drunk doesnt mean you have to be or a drug dealer or a lazy worthless bum, learn to make the place you live something to be proud of, take care of it. It can be done all you have to do is work together and care. The handouts haved to stop sometime.

[gopack443]

Why would anyone want to live below sea level in a hurricane zone? If people really want to take that chance that''s there business but there is no reason for the rest of the county to pay for it, now or the next time it all floods!

Give them "there" government trailers and remind them the free ride is over, get off there ***** or starve. There choice.

[squidly8]

Imagine that! People don''t want to go live in crummy, dilapidated, crime ridden govt housing. All part of the Great Society. Warehouse the poor and undesireables into blocks that we in the Dem party can gerrymander into a strong Dem voting block. We will remind them of what the govt has given them, promise them more because what they have isnt good enough and then we will tell them the Republicans/the Man/Corporate America is keeping them down, in their place.

That is how the Dems build the party.

What makes it so the poor dont see education as a way out of the grinding cycle of poverty? A college education is within reach of ANY young man or woman who puts in a reasonable effort. Why dont the mothers and/or fathers push their kids in getting an education, making sure they attend school and do their homework and then graduate? 90% of the answer is that the parents are too lazy or disinterested in getting involved. How do you fix that? It isnt throw more $ at the urban or poor schools as 40 years of that has shown. It is a lack of personal responsibility - it is by far the most important cause.

[keithle1]

Why are people who are so poor that they can barely taking care of themselves having kids?

Babies having babies is an endless cycle. Teenage mothers have babies who grow up to be teenage mothers. Stupid people making the same mistakes over & over.

You shouldn''t expect the government to take care of you every time you get pregnant & have a baby. Why do we have to pay because you''re an idiot?

Not sure why you would want to live in New Orleans. What''s so great about it? Visit for a week. Sure. Take in the music, food & local flavor. Then leave.

[barbaraf4]

"You can''t imagine how crummy the Projects were!" Posted by RingADing3
~~~~~~~~~~~
Public housing everywhere is built with the best of intentions and then turned over to a population that simply doesn''t have the incentive to take care of their homes. Within a year, most of these are over-populated slums. Worst yet, they are usually a haven for gangs. Projects were an expensive experiment that proved to be flawed.

Are there any solution to the problems? I don''t know. Usually this poverty and apathy are generational.

[creeper00]

This survey comes to us from George W. Bush''s HUD. I don''t know about the rest of you but I''m long past believing anything Bush''s people tell us.

[keithle1]

"..drive poor black people out of the city." Why is that a bad thing? Cities want to keep poor people? Poor people are an asset for a city?

Poor people cost cities money. Who is going to pay for the "better home" that these poor people want? I''m sure New Orleans is loaded. Great tax base.

"This house only has 3 bedrooms. I gots 6 kids!"

[libsrweak]

You can''''t imagine how crummy the Projects were!

Posted by RingADing3 at 12:04 AM : Mar 08, 2008
+ report abuse

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the projects is where the liberal DNC keeps the big bulk of this constituents. They keep them uneducated and DEPENDENT or else the would vote for the other guy.

The liberal DNC had been ''helping'' these ''project people'' for decades and decades,,they are as dire and helpless since day one or even worse..humm kinda like africa..the only people who are progressing are the white liberals..

[ringading3]

You can''t imagine how crummy the Projects were!

[lewiston14]

I hate to break the bad news but New Orleans dont want them back either

[bookout2]

All black cast in "Cat on a hot tine roof"?
The aroma in the theater must have been
overwhelming.

[libsrweak]

A majority of public housing residents dispersed by Hurricane Katrina do not want to return to the old brick buildings they lived in before the storm, according to a survey by the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

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what!!!!!! those ranting rabid liberals were wrong???