Study Outlines New Orleans Issues

By Eileen Fleming

New Orleans, La. – The annual study by the Greater New Orleans Community Data Center says New Orleans can celebrate having three quarters of its population back since Hurricane Katrina four years ago.
Center spokeswoman Allison Plyer says that's faster than some had anticipated.
And the New Orleans area has lower unemployment numbers than other regions.
But a troubling sign is the reliance on recovery money.
And then there's the 66-thousand unoccupied residential addresses, making the region the nation's leader in blight. But Plyer says that number is going down, as the Road Home program takes hold.
She says she's presented the overall finding to White House staff this week, as well as policy-makers looking for ways for continued recovery.