NY2NO

According to a recent report by Common Ground Relief, no survey of the Lower Ninth ward has yet to be conducted to identify its post-Katrina population demographics, and the needs that its residents face. Therefore, throughout the summer of 2009, NY2NO volunteers partnered with Our School at Blair Grocery in the Lower Ninth Ward to conduct such a survey. NY2NO volunteers walked through every street and canvassed every home in the Lower Ninth Ward over the course of this past summer, and have thus been able to finally identify the community demographics, as well as the most significant community needs.

The first goal of the survey was to map out the entire neighborhood so that we could both statistically and visually determine how many homes had been rebuilt since the storm. Prior to Katrina, the Lower Ninth  Ward was 98 percent African American, and had one of the highest rates of black home ownership in the country; with a population of 14,000 living in 4,820 households. Our survey shows that currently, the community population is now approximately only 1,500 people living in 636 households. Of these, 450 are school-aged students. 

NY2NO Organizers complete the Map Project Via Computer Mapping Software!

NY2NOs Map Project also helped identify the five most urgent community needs according to the residents:

1)    Housing: Only 10% of the Lower Ninth Ward’s pre-Katrina population has returned, and the neighborhood is riddled with crime and litter-breeding vacant property.

2)    Food Availability: There is not a single grocery store in the Lower Ninth Ward, and there is no access to any source of fresh organic produce. The only source of food is Magnolia Delicatessen, which sells 19 more types of alcohol than fruits and vegetables,

3)    Jobs: A vast majority of the residents of the Lower Ninth Ward are unemployed due to the fact that there are simply very few jobs available other than in construction work, and the majority of these jobs have been taken mostly by white volunteers or other non-residents.

4)    Health Care: There is only one small health clinic in the Lower Ninth Ward, and the city is now planning to demolish Charity Hospital, the only affordable hospital in the city that regularly serves lower -income families.

5)    Education: There is only one school in the Lower Ninth Ward, serving only a small percentage of the students who have returned; it only goes up to the 8th grade. There is no public or private institution that serves high school-aged children.