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Thank you, motivated team members in the Office of Homeless Services and Strategies, the Department of Health, the Department of Code Enforcement, the Department of Sanitation, the New Orleans Police Department, the Mobile Crisis Intervention Unit, the New Orleans Fire Department, the Lafitte Greenway Partnership, and others for your concern for this person's safety and well being. Thank you, members of the immediate community, for calling in your growing concerns for Mr. Sipp's safety, especially in light of his burning of trash near his dwelling created with wood. Inside the unit were a propane tank, an oxygen tank, and gasoline. There were also no smoke or carbon monoxide detectors present.
There is often misinformation shared relative to the City's ongoing, difficult work to assist people residing on the streets and in dangerous settings. The City (and the State of Louisiana through its contracting directly with Unity of Greater New Orleans) invest significant time and millions of dollars of resources annually in addressing a very difficult to address issue.
In Council District D, multiple homeless encampment sites have been remediated of trash and debris - including needles - and decommissioned. There have been camps within walking distance of shelters. These encampments of dangerous living have been found more often on property that is under the jurisdiction of the State of Louisiana than on City owned or privately owned property, but also in abandoned houses, cars, and more.
Recently, I was present when a deceased individual was found under a down ramp of Interstate 10 at Orleans Avenue, an area that is under the jurisdiction of the State of Louisiana through the State's Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD). There are other areas of encampment on property under State jurisdiction - for example, the area under the Elysian Fields overpass, which also falls under the jurisdiction of the State DOTD.
There are unemployed people, and many who are suffering because of high rents and living expenses. However, there are also scores of people from throughout the metropolitan area, state, and even the nation, who choose to move to New Orleans. Within the City there are substantial social services that cannot be found elsewhere. There are difficult to address issues of mental health first aid needs and drug addiction that cannot be ignored as contributing factors in some people living outdoors.
Our office will continue to seek out and call for action at sites where people are living in dangerous outdoor settings. We appreciate the ongoing efforts of those on the front lines working tirelessly to confront the persistent and complex dangers faced by people living on the streets.
Be safe, Mr. Sipp. Thank you for accepting the City's assistance.
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