James Perry 2010 - Mayor for a City that Works

“According to HUD, since 1993, the city has failed to spend $35 million of its HUD money for affordable housing, including $1.3 million in 1995, $1 million in 2001 and $4.8 million from 2004. Records show that no money has been spent for affordable housing since Katrina.

“It’s very simple,” said Blakely. “The contractors were not able to spend it. The non-profits were not here. We don’t give the money directly to individuals, we give them to contractors.”

James Perry, the head of the New Orleans Fair Housing Action Center, said he runs a non-profit that requested money.

“That’s not true,” he said in response to Blakely’s statement. “The money we applied for is combined CDBG and home funding and we were awarded the money.”

Perry said that months later he received an e-mail saying the city put the money on hold. He said many non-profits have been ready to do work since the storm, but the city won’t spend the money.

“When you drive through Lakeview or Gentilly or the Lower Ninth Ward, the thing that stands out is the housing is not there.  Imagine how much housing could be back in commission with that money; it makes no sense,” Perry said.”