15 years after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans and triggered a mass exodus, the city is bracing for new storms as it faces an entirely different crisis - the beginning of a possible wave of evictions caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
“People are paying more rent now than they’ve ever paid in their lives,” said Frank Southall, lead organizer at Jane Place. “It’s not uncommon to never see a one-bedroom apartment that’s in good condition for less than $1,200 in a city where the area median income for a single mother with a child $25,000.”Amid the pandemic, housing advocates say some landlords are taking advantage of renters’ vulnerable position.
“I just wanted something decent. I don’t feel like a ceiling is that unreasonable!” said Wells, who negotiated with her landlord over the August rent because of the needed repairs but the deal fell through, according to correspondence between her and her lawyer. “I can see outside from my kitchen, inside.”
And, though landlords are supposed to make repairs to keep homes inhabitable, renters cannot withhold rent until they are made, leaving them with little recourse.
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