[StBernard] Road Home property buyouts-what happens

[Westley Annis]

This is going to an interesting outcome: **25%*** if exising homes to be
let out to "low-income" housing. That's going to be an even greater
proportion of pre-Katrina existed housing going to many who could not afford
homes (renters/those never could afford homes (including many single
minorities with hoards of children, pitbulls, junk cars, aimed at middle
income neighborhoods whereas the gatehouse and upper echelon may not have
concern about this--but are sure to have been a deciding factor into this).
There's "dicussion" about many changes coming to neighborhoods that's felt
would "turn" in a hurry. If one could remember "white flight" of the late
50's, early 60's, to the suburbs, they'll be déjà vu as history repeats.
Demographically, brick by brick is going to be quickly weakened by economic
stuggles to get a piece of the economic pie. As in the white flight model of
survival, economic upprisal, lower classes will replace neightborhoods lot
by lot until the next element usurps/inundates approaches.

Mandating that 25% of all acquired properties are earmarked for low-incoming
housing could possibly deter the middle class from restarting their lives in
St. Bernard Parish. Not that there's anything wrong with being poor, in
exception that everyone hates to be in poverty, learns to accept/tolerate it
or gets stuck with it after years of bad luck, wrong decisions, stuck in the
cycle of poverty or wouldn't give a **** about their economic means.

--mj.

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Hey Jim,
 
Merry Christmas.  Just checking the email while I am waiting for the
children to awaken.
 
Anyway, the parish has a Housing, Quality of Life, and Redevelopment
Authority established.  It is made up of the council (or an appointee), the
president (or his appointee), and the sheriff (or his appointee).
 
this would be the agency to handle such matters.  I have some real concerns
about packaging properties for a profit for the LRA to decide what to do
with the money from the very properties that they "forced" sale on to begin
with if the LRA does not fix their calculation/valuation problems.
 
all should remember that the LRA action plan calls for 25% of the acquired
properties to be used for low income housing.
 
Good luck and God Bless,
Craig