With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today .
FEMA Trailer Park Closes
Listen
• 0:00
ANDREA SEABROOK, host:
The black mayors meeting is a sign that New Orleans is rebuilding. But the city is still struggling to recover from the blow of Hurricane Katrina. The storm scattered the people of New Orleans across Louisiana and the country. Hundreds of families settled in a place called Renaissance Village. It's a trailer park set up about 90 miles from New Orleans. It was the first temporary housing group that the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, built in Louisiana after Katrina.
And it remained the biggest. Well, this week Renaissance Village officially closed. Sister Judith Brun has worked closely with Renaissance Village residents since the park was built. And welcome to the program, Sister Brun.
Ms. JUDITH BRUN (Sister): Thank you.
Support for LAist comes from
SEABROOK: What's Renaissance Village like now?
Ms. BRUN: Oh, a drastic change. We had almost 600 trailers there in the beginning, and I would say if there are 60 there, that's a lot today. Of that 60 only 15 of them have residents in them. Once the families leave the trailer park, they will be offered rental assistance up through March of next year.
SEABROOK: So, they'd go find…
Ms. BRUN: However…
SEABROOK: …so, they'd go find an apartment to rent and they'd get some kind of subsidy for that?
Ms. BRUN: Exactly, exactly. But if a person or a family is not eligible for FEMA assistance, there is a high risk of that family becoming homeless.
SEABROOK: So, how are these residents who are still there, how are they dealing with the closing of the park?
Support for LAist comes from
Ms. BRUN: I have noticed in the last two or three days a tremendous escalation of anxiety, substance abuse, restless behavior, anger has increased, frustration is on the rise.
SEABROOK: I want to take a moment to sort of look at the history of Renaissance Village now that it's closing down. We'll always have a place, I think, in American history. Eight hundred and fifty families…
Ms. BRUN: That's right.
SEABROOK: …moved through Renaissance Village after Hurricane Katrina. Lots have come and gone. For a place that was so transitional, was there a community there? What was it like, Sister Judith?
Ms. BRUN: When we first moved out there, I actually was fortunate to be with many of the residents the first day that the move started taking place to Renaissance Village. They arrived on Greyhound buses with all their earthly belongings and garbage bags. But they were happy to have some space of their own; a little quiet, but in general it was a very depressed group that moved out.
FEMA's mission is to provide transitional housing, not social services. And they evidenced that in the way the park was designed. There was no what I would call town center or gathering place for the residents. Immediately I said, oh no, we have to have tables, we have to chairs, we have to have morning paper. We have to have a place for people to gather, and this became the gathering place.
SEABROOK: Do you think that because of the work you did in the trailer park to make it more of a community that Renaissance Village ended up helping people not just by having a place to live but pull their lives back together?
Support for LAist comes from
Ms. BRUN: I think many people helped one another in this environment, absolutely. But I don't know that we really had the onsite, the personnel, nor the capacity to engage these residents in starting to develop life plans and hopes and goals for themselves. That said, it leaves us in a very precarious situation as the park is closing.
SEABROOK: Sister Judith Brun directs the Community Initiative Foundation in Baton Rouge. Sister Judith, thank you very much for speaking with us.
Ms. BRUN: Thank you.
(Soundbite of music) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
At LAist, we believe in journalism without censorship and the right of a free press to speak truth to those in power. Our hard-hitting watchdog reporting on local government, climate, and the ongoing housing and homelessness crisis is trustworthy, independent and freely accessible to everyone thanks to the support of readers like you.
But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
Immigration raids have caused some U.S. citizens to carry their passports to the store, to school or to work. But what documents to have on you depends on your citizenship. -
The historic properties have been sitting vacant for decades and were put on the market as-is, with prices ranging from $750,000 to $1.75 million. -
Users of the century old Long Beach wooden boardwalk give these suggestions to safely enjoy it. -
The Newport Beach City Council approved a new artificial surf park that will replace part of an aging golf course. -
The utility, whose equipment is believed to have sparked the Eaton Fire, says payouts could come as quickly as four months after people submit a claim. But accepting the money means you'll have to forego any lawsuits. -
The City Council will vote Tuesday on a proposal to study raising the pay for construction workers on apartments with at least 10 units and up to 85 feet high.
Best of LAist