In response to the state's efforts to move the homeless and shut down encampments, the city of New Orleans has pushed the pedal even further on its plans to end homelessness in the city.
Some strategies that have already been in place have been doubled down on, and some new ideas are being weighed as options to combat the issue.
Councilman for District D, Eugene Green, says that first he would like citizens to know that the city has been serious bout this issue for some time.
"It's unfortunate that the state's cleanups made it seems as if the city was doing nothing. We actually have been in collaboration with the state and other agencies over the past year and have housed over seven hundred people as a result."
Green says it is not lost on city leaders that it will take more to end homelessness and the city will continue its ongoing efforts such as a cleanup of encampments every other Wednesday that address the safety and health concerns within the encampments, but new initiatives are burgeoning too.
"If we could get churches to take on about two people and see them through the process to permanent housing, that would greatly help. We will need the community partner in these efforts."
Councilman Green says that sooner or later the state will have to take serious the reasons why the unhoused seem to flock to New Orleans.
"People come here from all over the state because New Orleans provides necessary services."
