December 6, 2007
And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem: (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) to be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her first-born son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was not room for them in the Inn. (St. Luke 2.3-7)
One cannot read of the journey of the Holy Family into Bethlehem and fail to see a modern day shadow with the poor of New Orleans. At the behest of the Roman Emperor, St. Joseph and St. Mary journeyed to his home town, Bethlehem, only to discover there was no place for them. So it was that they huddled in a humble manager and there was born the Savior of the world. Alas, as the Christmas hymn notes, Away in a manger, no crib for his bed, the little Lord Jesus laid down his sweet head.
In this holy season, the decision has been made by FEMA that tens of thousands of families or individuals must leave their trailer homes by the spring of next year. Eviction notices are being posted even now. At the very same time, it has been decided by the Housing Authority of New Orleans and HUD that the bulk of the Federal Housing Projects in New Orleans are to be bulldozed to the ground this month. Many of those living in FEMA trailers do not have the resources to find other housing in the notoriously expensive New Orleans housing market. The Case Management system, which is designed to help citizens of the diaspora and those returned home deal with such challenges, is scheduled to end in March of 2008.
As a Christian, I am compelled to speak of the morality of these decisions. The issue is not simply one of housing or even subsidized housing. Rather, the issue before us is primarily a moral issue. The issue before us is not buildings, but people. As the Christ Child had no place but a manger to lay his head, so it is that many children in New Orleans and of the New Orleans diaspora have no place to call home. Shall America by policy treat our citizens as mere statistics or shall we respect the dignity of each person as a child of God? The numbers are huge, but as we were reminded by a thoughtful rabbi in the immediate aftermath of the attack on the World Trade Center, each number represents a human being. It is not that tens of thousands shall be further displaced but that multitudes of human beings shall again be put out - one human being at a time.
Beware the claim that low cost housing is available and going unclaimed in New Orleans. There is more to this than empty apartments. The capacity of the growing homeless population in New Orleans and those of the Diaspora to qualify for these apartments, should they exist, is compromised. Without assistance, without case management, many do not have the ability to qualify for these apartments. So, if FEMA is putting people on the streets, many will decide that if they are going to be homeless, they would rather be homeless in New Orleans than in Houston or Atlanta. We face the potential of an extended situation not unlike that we saw in the Superdome immediately after Katrina.
Community Congresses II and III of New Orleans spoke clearly of the desire to avoid packing the poor into densely populated pockets of poverty. At the same Congresses, the people of New Orleans declared that the residents of the projects should have a voice in determining the future of these homes.
Thus do I call upon the City Council of New Orleans to:
Reclaim and renew existing Federal Housing Projects in New Orleans as temporary and dignified homes for our citizens and our families of the diaspora
Develop alternative sites for the proposed, mixed-income housing rather than utilizing the sites now occupied by the Federal Housing Projects.
Delay the destruction of the Federal Housing Projects in New Orleans until such time as the proposed, mixed-income housing is developed and former residents are invited to move into these homes.
Include residents, especially former residents of Federal Projects in New Orleans, in the planning process for the immediate and long term future of public housing in New Orleans
Renew existing Federal Housing Projects in New Orleans as temporary and dignified homes for our citizens and our families of the diaspora
Provide Case Management Assistance for people in the diaspora, for the homeless of our city, and for those who occupy the Federal Housing Projects
Review our commitment to the dignity of human being in our city
Yours in Christ,
The Rt. Rev. Charles E. Jenkins, D. D.
Bishop of Louisiana
Other work for the kindom going on in Louisiana and ways you can help here.
1 comment:
Very nice, Ann. Let me know when you want links and a little free advertising.
Post a Comment