Homeownership rate... seems like a simple piece of data, but in the Lower Ninth Ward, its causes and effects are anything but. Nobody knows more about this neighborhood than folks who live here – that's why engaging potential clients is crucial to understanding the context for the data, and to designing successful nonprofit programs.

We asked some neighborhood residents about homeownership in the Lower Ninth Ward. Here's what they said:

59% of the housing units in the Lower Ninth Ward are owner-occupied compared to 46.5% in Orleans Parish overall. What do you think accounts for this difference?

This was one of the first subdivisions that was designated for African Americans. The idea was just so wonderful to be able to buy a lot for $250, to build a house and be a homeowner. When my family first came here, we cut a street, a path really, to get back to this lot. In the Ninth Ward, you've got a group of people who have stayed because we wanted to - because we've got an investment in this community.”
     — 75 year old African American social worker (Fall 2003)

A lot of people who live here moved down here when this area was undeveloped and established the community itself. Particular groups of people who had certain incomes were offered an opportunity to buy tracts of land for cheap. You had jobs at Kaiser, sugar refineries, Teneco. The money was good. The community was prosperous.”
     — 53 year old African American laborer (Fall 2003)

What effect does the high home-ownership rate have on the community?

Some of the homeowners here now, inherited these properties from their parents, but they don't have employment, or transportation, and they have little education. There are no jobs here. There's no money. So people can't keep up their properties. The houses are deteriorating. The incomes in the community have declined over the years, and those who could afford to, have moved out. That's the typical trend when incomes fall. People are unable to keep up their homes, the schools deteriorate, and those who can afford to, think, 'I've got to move to a better neighborhood.' The closing of the projects [public housing developments] created more individuals in the homes. Where the statistics may show that I have myself and my three children, I may actually also have a cousin and uncle who moved in when they tore down the projects. With this extra economic strain, further deterioration of the property occurs and lack of investment in fixing it up.”
     — 75 year old African American social worker (Fall 2003)

A lot of people now are just living off of their families. Just living off these properties. They don't keep them up. When they can, they sell them. You'll find more blighted properties here now than you used to. It's sad. The homeownership rate gives a false impression that people are more well off than they are. And back when the community was prosperous, the money was not pooled in a positive way. The credit union of the Lower Ninth Ward should have been booming, but nobody wanted to invest in it. I went to put money in the credit union but the people told me they were having problems getting the money accounted for, so I said, 'When you get that straightened out, I'll come back.'”
     — 53 year old African American laborer (Fall 2003)

I would say that the level of political involvement by the residents, and it is a lot, is probably related to the fact that it is an old neighborhood where people do have ownership of houses.”
     — 54 year old African American nonprofit consultant (Fall 2003)

What do you think should be done?

Members of families who have properties should be encouraged to save them before it's too late. They should be reminded that it took a lot to build these houses and they shouldn't let them fade away.”
     — 53 year old African American laborer (Fall 2003)

We need to have fairer home ownership programs. The federal government has money to help homeowners. But our corrupted real estate people are taking it away from us. We need more monitors of fair housing practices.”
     — 75 year old African American social worker (Fall 2003)

In the Lower Nine (and I would imagine it is the same way in any community that is predominantly African-American living) a higher percentage of their income goes to paying for those houses. So I would imagine there should be more support to help home ownership. So that a higher percentage of people's income is not given to paying for the home. Because clearly what that means is that they don't have discretionary funds to do other kinds of things that help people's quality of life be better.”
     — 54 year old African American nonprofit consultant (Fall 2003)

Source Citation: “Beyond Data: Straight Talk from some Lower Ninth Ward Residents.” (Fall 2003).  Interviews by Nilima Mwendo and Allison Plyer, Greater New Orleans Community Data Center. <http://www.gnocdc.org> (March 23, 2005).