The city of New Orleans is no stranger to hosting large national events, but an upcoming Super Bowl has city leaders rushing to clean up homeless encampments as they await an influx of tourists. While it’s one thing to do the cosmetic work of cleaning up roads and bridges, there’s still the problem of dealing with the actual people being moved. Joseph Heeren-Mueller, Director of Community Engagement for UNITY of Greater New Orleans, has been dealing with the unhoused and the issues they face up close. He says not only do the homeless in New Orleans need housing, but supportive services to help them re-integrate.
Heeren-Mueller is also quick to dispel many of the notions around the unhoused in New Orleans. He says that many of the unhoused in the area work one or multiple jobs, but the income is insufficient to find housing for them and their families. He hopes to see continued support from the city in terms of these services, but knows that many will need to seek out non-profits such as his for assistance.
One concern for advocates of the homeless around New Orleans was the Supreme Court ruling stating that encamped people could be arrested.
According to Heeren-Mueller, there is no local government ordinance that allows for arresting encamped people at this juncture, and he doesn’t expect the city to take the step of criminalizing homelessness any time soon.
The streets of New Orleans are sure to look much different in the coming months. What happens outside of the public eye to address homelessness in the city and surrounding areas will ultimately define the success of the clean-up. Time will tell whether these changes are fleeting and cosmetic or more sustainable.