Meet the Tiny House with a Big Impact

A group of Tulane students made the most of a former NORA lot when they set out to help a formerly unhoused New Orleans community member.

As reported by CBS, the students worked for 10 months to construct a 440-square-foot tiny home for Benjamin Henry, who has not had a place to call home for nearly 20 years. The students took on the task through Tulane’s UrbanBuild program, an award-winning initiative designed to empower architecture students with real-world projects that enrich and revitalize New Orleanian culture and heritage.

The students submitted several design proposals for the home before professional architects selected the final plan. Student Noah Lion, whose design was picked, says the project became “even more personal” as the students learned about who would be living in the finished home.

Henry, who used to live under Interstate 10, says he struggled with addiction in the past and has lived in temporary housing for several years. Now, he says the students have given him hope—something he wants to pass on to everyone else.

"I want everybody to know that as long as you have hope… as long as you hang in there, there's gonna be some breakthrough,” Henry told CBS.  “And I'm having my breakthrough right now. Hallelujah.”

Henry’s new and permanent home is now complete on what was once a NORA-owned property. NORA operates multiple programs, such as Construction Lending, Lot Next Door, and annual auctions, to redevelop land and properties throughout the city. These initiatives help to make affordable and sustainable housing accessible to all, as well as to beautify the city, catalyze commercial development, and provide long-term solutions to water and storm management.

The NORA team is proud to have played a part in both empowering local students and in helping to address houselessness in our community. We’re also proud to have done so alongside vital partners who make our work possible: Tulane University, Louvis Services, and the Travelers Aid Society of Greater New Orleans.

“The New Orleans Redevelopment Authority is pleased to partner with mission-driven non-profit organizations Louvis Services and Travelers Aid Society once again to develop and operate affordable housing for our city’s most vulnerable residents. This Lower Ninth Ward project also marks the third time the students and faculty in Tulane University’s innovative URBANbuild program have restored a former NORA property to commerce. The combination of government, philanthropy, and higher education working together is both hard to beat and necessary to realize our community development goals.”

- Brenda M. Breaux, NORA Executive Director

German Bundestag members talk disaster recovery with NORA

This spring, NORA was pleased to host members of the German Parliament Committee on Housing, Urban Development, Building and Local Government who came to New Orleans to learn about long term flood disaster recovery and prevention. Western Germany experienced devastating property damage and loss of life during severe flooding in July 2021 and the recovery is ongoing. Members of the delegation noted and praised our “pragmatic approach” to disaster recovery and rebuilding as well as our continued adaptation efforts in response to climate change. The information exchange and tour were requested and organized by the German Consulate General in Houston as part of a week-long national tour for the delegation that also included visits to New York and Washington, DC.

NORA prepares to launch St. Claude Revitalization study

We are pleased to announce that the City of New Orleans has recently approved a Cooperative Endeavor Agreement with NORA to support St. Claude Avenue Revitalization in the Lower Ninth Ward. The first phase of the $2 million program will consist of a retail market study that will identify what new retail activity can be supported in the Lower Ninth Ward, including the appropriate size and location for a full service grocery store. Stay tuned as the market study kicks off this fall with multiple opportunities for community engagement and a final report expected before the end of the year. NORA plans to utilize the data gathered during the market study process as a guide for investment and potential subsidy for new grocery and retail development in the St. Claude Avenue corridor in 2025.