NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — City workers cleared out makeshift tents under the Pontchartrain Expressway between Carondelet and Baronne streets, sending the unhoused people who were living there scrambling to grab any belongings they could.
“Now they are making these folks throw the stuff away. You know, where they expect us homeless folks to go live,” says one individual.
State Representative Alonzo Knox says it’s about time.
“People of New Orleans deserve this. We have been dealing with this crisis for a long time. The individuals most impacted by this deserve this. It’s really important we address the root causes of how they ended up here in the first place,” said Knox.
Officials have begun relocating those who were living under the expressway to area shelters. Knox wants them to know they’re safer there.
“They are not just being tossed about. They are not just being removed. They are actually housed in safe, clean environments rather than being out here in the elements,” said Knox.
After the sweep, the area was fenced off to stop future campers.
Some of the people who live there say the city has not done enough to find them another home.
“I got my homeless verification papers but nobody else has come to talk to me. They are talking about putting people in a home immediately. I talked to them a month ago about why I’m not in a home. You know, I live on the streets. I got to go out and beg people for food,” said an individual who lived in the encampment.
Some even say the shelters are more dangerous than the streets.
“Them folks don’t check up on you or anything. The folks over there using the needles and everything. Folks are dying in the shelter. I don’t want a shelter. I want a home. You know, I don’t want to live on the streets. I want a home,” said the individual.
The gentleman tells WGNO he is unsure where he will end up afterward if he doesn’t get a call from Unity or travelers aid.
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