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Award of Excellence
Ted Jackson The Times-Picayune
"The New Orleans Housing Crisis"
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"Assessor Nightmares"
One of the leading impediments in the recovery of post-Katrina New Orleans is the lack of affordable housing. Residents wanting to return to the battered city have been met with constant hurdles, including the high cost of rebuilding, the ever-changing rules of the states Road Home program, skyrocketing insurance rates and property taxes, an escalating homeless population and racial tension over public housing demolition. Even without these obstacles, residents' mental distress over personal loss is daunting, whether it is the loss of personal property, loss of community, or the devastating and guilt-ridden trauma of losing loved ones. Depression weighs heavily on the citys collective psyche, but New Orleanians' resilient human spirit finds hope as one homeowner after another successfully navigates the maze and celebrates the simple victory of rediscovering normalcy.
Long lines outside the New Orleans Parish assessor's offices mark the last day to challenge building and land assessments. As they wait in line, Wanda Nazaretian, right, shares her tale of woe with Lori Pichon about her 1400% increase in property tax. Residents were outraged and discouraged with the extraordinary increases as they tried to return to New Orleans and rebuild their Katrina damaged homes.
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