Human Services News

Building Opportunity and Equity Into the New New Orleans: A Framework for Policy and Action

Long before the onslaught of Hurricane Katrina or the chaos of evacuation, New Orleans' social infrastructure was failing.

News coverage of the overcrowded Superdome and the city's flooded streets exposed the poverty and vulnerability of many residents, especially African Americans.

As New Orleans begins to rebuild, can the city avoid the mistakes of the past, instead creating more effective social support for low-income and minority residents?

Innovation and experience from other U.S. cities offer promising strategies for reducing the risks of poverty and opening up opportunities for economic security and success.

This essay is from an Urban Institute collection that addresses employment, affordable housing, public schools, young children's needs, health care, arts and culture, and vulnerable populations.

All these essays assess the challenges facing New Orleans today and for years to come and recommend tested models for making the city's social infrastructure stronger and more equitable than it was before Katrina.

Long before the onslaught of Hurricane Katrina, the collapse of the levees, or the chaos of evacuation, the social infrastructure of New Orleans was failing many of the city's residents.

Jobs and population had been leaving the city for decades; public school performance was dismal; and rates of unemployment, poverty, poor health, and hardship were high.

Conditions were especially bleak in the city's poor neighborhoods, where decades of racial segregation, disinvestment, and neglect fostered severe isolation and distress.

Certainly, many people who lived or had a business in New Orleans are experiencing uncertainty and loss.

But for families with no financial assets, little work experience, limited education or skills, poor health, or disabilities, the challenges of starting anew can seem paralyzing.

As New Orleans begins to rebuild, what are the prospects for these families and their communities?

An unprecedented opportunity will be missed if some of the investments in the city's reconstruction are not used to rebuild stronger, smarter social support systems and avenues for economic advancement.

No other city in the country---however distressed its economy or frayed its social safety net---has had to rebuild almost everything at once.