–Margot Carmichael Lester
Blank Slate
Katrina’s devastation gives a historic city the chance for a fresh start.
“Mother Nature taught us a real lesson,” said independent real estate broker Judy Fisher, standing in the midst of reconstruction and piles of debris in New Orleans‘ Faubourg-St. John neighborhood. “It’s survival of the fittest down here. It’s no more complicated than that.”
“We need big developers to bring in crews,” she says authoritatively. “We need the best and brightest minds in the real estate industry to look at doing projects here. Do some flyovers and see what can be done. It’s an especially good time for environmentally sound projects because people will listen now.”
She’s not the only one. Jim Kelly, CEO of Catholic Charities, which develops, owns, and manages 2,300 affordable housing units across town, also sees the need for outside involvement.
“I hope developers who come to New Orleans truly do believe in mixed-income apartments,” he says. “And I hope that developers who come will try to use New Orleans folks to partner wherever they can so they’re not simply carpetbaggers.”
Mo Leaverett, executive director of Desire Street Ministries, a local church and community support organization, says the hope for a brighter future hinges on one key tenet.
“The issue isn’t just creating housing,” he says. “It’s creating community. Developers should work closely with churches and small business owners to figure out what’s needed locally to create intact families and stakeholders in the community. Katrina has helped us create more of a blank slate. If God grants us favor, we can do it.”
–Margot Carmichael Lester
