HUD dismisses hoax, sets the record straight

September 4, 2006  

Despite a clever ruse that confused contractors and left state and local elected officials scratching their heads, HUD officials made it clear that their plans to redevelop several public housing projects in New Orleans are moving forward.

The unapologetiic culprit said last week that he used the hoax to draw attention to a lack of affordable housing in the city. "We basically go around impersonating bad institutes or institutes doing very bad things," said the man, who identified himself as Andy Bichlbaum, a 42-year-old former college teacher of video and media arts who lives in New York and Paris.

"That would be HUD. At this moment, they're doing some really bad things."

Masquerading as Rene Oswin, an official at the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Bichlbaum followed Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco and New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin to the lectern Monday morning at the Pontchartrain Center in Kenner.

He told attendees of the Gulf Coast Reconstruction and Hurricane Preparedness Summit of HUD's decision to reconsider demolishing several public housing developments in an effort to create mixed-income residential communities in New Orleans.

"Everything is going to change about the way we work, and the change is going to start here today in New Orleans," Bichlbaum told the audience, adding that Jackson had to cancel his appearance at the Kenner meeting of builders and contractors to meet with President George Bush.

Once alerted of the statement, the Department of Housing and Urban Development denounced news that it had a change of heart about how to go about transforming public housing in New Orleans.

HUD officials reiterated the agency's intentions of following through with its original plan to redevelop the city's public housing projects to improve the quality of life for its residents.

"It is terribly sad that someone would perpetuate such a cruel hoax and play on the fears and anxieties of families who are desperate to return to their homes," HUD spokesperson Donna White said last week. ""We are destroying those homes for good reason. It is terribly sad that some people can't understand that. That lack of understanding speaks for the low level of government education in this country."

"HUD is working with the local community to redevelop C.J. Peete, B.W. Cooper, Lafitte and St. Bernard public housing developments to make way for a mixture of public housing, affordable rental housing and single-family homes.

HUD also recently announced plans for mixed-income affordable housing, homeownership opportunities and services for the former families of Lafitte. The Department has also invested $500,000 to the city's Neighborhoods Rebuilding Plan or charrette process.

Responding to repeated media inquiries about the hoax, HUD officials issued a laundry list ot points aimed at setting the record straight on its plans for public housing and other other recovery-related efforts in New Orleans:

"* HUD will NOT refrain from demolishing 5,000 units of undamaged public housing simply because they are undamaged.

* HUD will NOT let people come home simply because they want to, are part of the city, and constitute a much-needed workforce.

* HUD is NOT encouraging Wal-Mart to withdraw from low-income neighborhoods in order to "stanch" the flow of money out of these neighborhoods, nor does it prefer "local" businesses.

* There is NO partnership between HUD, health departments and the CDC to provide adequate health care to low-income residents.

* A national tax base for public schools is NOT on the horizon of HUD or the Department of Education. U.S. public schools will continue to be funded from local taxes, which will continue to mean commensurate and proportionate levels of funding for schools in rich and poor neighborhoods. HUD does NOT believe equality of opportunity must begin in grade one, but believes it is a far more flexible concept.

* Also, Exxon has asked HUD to make clear that it will NOT pay $8.6 billion from its $35 billion in profits this year to close down the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet and otherwise repair the damage caused by the oil industry to the natural protections surrounding New Orleans."

The cruelty of fostering false hopes among a population long victimized by U.S. government policies is unfathomable. Virginia L., a would-be resident of the St. Bernard housing project, expressed her disappointment succinctly. "George W. Bush lives in public housing," she said. "Why don't they evict him?"

A contractor was equally critical. "I'm not angry at them for pulling this joke, I'm angry that it's not for real."

A long list of housing-rights activists and organizations, including ACORN, have criticized HUD's decision to prevent public housing residents from returning to their pre-Katrina homes.

One former Lafitte housing project resident told The Louisiana Weekly that she blames federal, state and local elected officials for failing to fight for her right to return to the Lafitte housing development. "Bush, Nagin, Kathleen Blanco, take your pick," Angela Williams said. "Nobody's speaking up for us. While they're all here for the hurricane anniversary, they aren't lifting a finger to help us.

"The bottom line is somebody somewhere wants this land," she continued. "The hurricane just made it easier to for them to move us off of it and sell it to the highest bidder."

A week before the Hurricane Katrina anniversary, HUD Secretary Alphonse Jackson came to New Orleans to announce the opening of 20 new homes made available to families from the old Fischer housing development in Algiers. Among those receiving the keys to a new home was former Fischer resident Donna Davis.

"Every family who wants to come home should have the opportunity to come back," said Jackson, at the opening with Mayor Ray Nagin and a collection of city officials. "HUD's goal is to bring families back to quality housing. I believe Miss Davis and other low-income families deserve better housing and a neighborhood where children can play without fear."

Another 103 homes are scheduled to be completed for other former Fischer housing residents by the end of September. Jackson said HUD would work with Mayor Nagin, the community and residents to build quality housing to create mixed-income communities, not the old public housing developments that simply warehouse people.

Jackson also announced HUD's approval of a joint public-private venture that will ensure that the nearly 900 families who once lived in Lafitte will have the opportunity to return to their neighborhood. The Housing Authority of New Orleans (HANO), Providence Community Housing - the Catholic post-Katrina initiative - and Enterprise Community Partners have formed an alliance to plan the redevelopment of the Lafitte site and the surrounding Treme, Tulane and Gravier neighborhoods.

Standing with Jackson to announce the venture were Father Michael Jacques, chairman of the board of Providence, and F. Barton Harvey III, chairman of the board, chief executive officer and president of Enterprise.

"I am excited about sitting down with the families of the Lafitte neighborhood to design and plan a healthy, diverse, vibrant community," said Father Michael.

"Enterprise looks forward to working with our partners and the residents of Lafitte and Treme to create a stronger community with affordable homes and better opportunities for the residents" said Harvey.

The Providence/Enterprise team, along with HANO, working with residents will plan mixed-income affordable housing, homeownership and services for the former families of Lafitte. Providence and its sponsors have been providing housing and social services to the city of New Orleans since 1727. Enterprise, formerly The Enterprise Foundation, is a 24-year-old, nationally known nonprofit organization known for its expertise in creating large-scale, mixed-income housing developments.

Jackson said with the redevelopment of Lafitte and also of C.J. Peete, B.W. Cooper and St. Bernard, there would be community and resident involvement at every step of the city's planning process. To guarantee resident input, Jackson announced that HUD has contributed $500,000 to the city's Neighborhoods Rebuilding Plan or charrette process, which is a community-driven effort to help guide the revitalization of the city's neighborhoods that address each community's priorities and plans.

Jackson was also pleased to announce that he had been informed that Michaels Development had completed its negotiations with its insurance providers and would restart construction at Desire at the end of the month. Located in the Upper Ninth Ward, Desire was in the process of being redeveloped using a HUD HOPE VI grant when Katrina hit. This delayed the plan to replace the 50-year-old development with public housing, affordable rental housing and homeownership units.

Jackson also said, in an effort to get more families who had to flee in the wake of Katrina back to the city, HANO is also working with Nagin and the City Council to put modular homes on HANO-owned properties or "scattered sites" throughout the city. He said this would ensure a quick return of residents where there are jobs and opportunity for them to help rebuild and recover neighborhoods.

Jackson also provided an update of where HANO was on repairing 1,000 units HUD promised in June to allow an additional 1,000 families to return to New Orleans. He said the count currently stands at 800, despite a setback at C.J. Peete, where hundreds of thousands of dollars of copper building materials were recently stolen. Jackson said former residents are being contacted and he is hopeful the HANO staff will deliver as many units as possible.