2024 New Orleans Budget Invests $26 Million Toward the Big Easy Deal
Key investments in community crisis intervention, violence prevention, and housing will help make New Orleans a safer, healthier city, but urgent community needs remain unaddressed.FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Trip Eggert | teggert@vera.org
New Orleans, LA (Dec. 6, 2023, 12 p.m. CT)—The Big Easy Budget Coalition commends Mayor Cantrell and the New Orleans City Council for their investments in safe, thriving communities in the 2024 city budget, including $17 million allocation to the housing trust fund, $2.5 million for the Healthy Homes program, and $2 million for the New Orleans Health Department’s community violence intervention initiatives. We are grateful to Councilmember Harris, Council President Morrell, and the entire Council for their work on these programs. Our city can thrive when all New Orleanians are safe, healthy, and have their needs met. This funding will begin to efficiently and cost-effectively address the root causes of crime and violence and improve the quality of life for all residents. We also applaud the steps that the City Council and Council Budget Chair Giarrusso took to improve the accessibility of portions of the budget process. The Big Easy Budget Coalition will continue to push for budget processes that are transparent and accessible and will proactively engage residents and allow them to participate meaningfully.
We are, however, disappointed to see that youth programs and services remain critically underfunded. Research has shown that youth programs have the largest cost-benefit ratio in preventing crime and violence among any developmental crime prevention programs. We urge our city leaders to fund the youth programs and services outlined in the Youth Master Plan, a series of investments identified by New Orleans youth as vital to their success and, therefore, the future of our city.
New Orleans must address the systemic inequity, poverty, lack of economic opportunity, and marginalization that drive violence in our city and have left too many of our residents struggling to survive. The Big Easy Budget Coalition and its members will continue advocating for investment in our youth, our families, and our vulnerable neighbors. We look forward to continued collaboration with community members and elected officials to make a healthier, safer New Orleans where all our communities can thrive.
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About the Big Easy Budget Coalition:
The Big Easy Budget Coalition is a diverse and growing group of social justice organizations from across the New Orleans area working to build thriving communities and address the root causes of violence through key budget investments in affordable housing, violence prevention and intervention, youth development, and community equity. For more information, visit bigeasydeal.org.
About the Vera Institute of Justice:
The Vera Institute of Justice is powered by hundreds of advocates, researchers, and policy experts working to transform the criminal legal and immigration systems until they’re fair for all. Founded in 1961 to advocate for alternatives to money bail in New York City, Vera is now a national organization that partners with impacted communities and government leaders for change. We develop just, antiracist solutions so that money doesn’t determine freedom; fewer people are in jails, prisons, and immigration detention; and everyone is treated with dignity. Vera’s headquarters is in Brooklyn, New York, with offices in Washington, DC, New Orleans, and Los Angeles. For more information, visit vera.org.