Erica Billiot, a resident of one of the new homes on New Island, had to buy two new toilets in the last two years because hers didn’t work.

“They said it was because of the water system here,” she said.

She spoke to the Louisiana Office of Community Development (OCD) about the construction issues she and her sisters are facing during a public meeting about revising her action plan and her New Island Sustainability Plan.

The predominantly Native American community of Isle de Jean Charles made international headlines when it underwent a first-of-its-kind resettlement program due to the loss of coastal land. The community moved further inland into Terrebonne Parish, establishing New Island. With funding from the Department of Housing and Urban Development, OCD has managed the relocation so far. Now that many have moved to New Island, the state must explain to HUD how it will prepare the community for long-term success.

“They were particularly interested in this idea of… how to keep people together, right? How do we restore them, get them out of harm’s way, but restore them in a way that allows us to maintain and foster their community, right? said Gina Campo, executive director of OCD.

The action plan amendment creates a rental assistance fund with remaining HUD funding. This money will be used to help residents pay for home insurance for the first five years, but not flood insurance. It will also be used for economic development and public facilities.

“We have invested funds in infrastructure to create retail space at the front of the development. So it has to be marketed somehow, right? It is an element of economic development of this activity. It’s an eligible expense,” Campo said.

OCD also begins to wean itself off the project. The new amendment includes a cooperative effort agreement between the state and South Central Planning and Development Commission. The commission will take over financing and land and begin managing the resettlement.

“We’ve been thinking about what we can do to lead this effort,” said South Central CEO Kevin Belanger. “There are many more areas to develop here. There’s a lot of acreage that can be devoted to commerce, a lot of acreage that could be devoted to residential development and natural spaces.

Only a handful of residents attended the recent meeting outlining these changes, but after hearing the new plans, they expressed frustration with the new homes they received from the state. Residents own the houses, but the state acts as lienholder. The mortgage is canceled over a period of five years.

Billiot said she has had issues with her new home since she moved in two years ago.

“We have cracks on the sides of our walls. It’s raining through the doors,” she said. “One of my sisters, on her roof, it’s raining where the stove is… The walls are crooked. The floors are crooked. »

She said her sisters and mother all had the same problems. Another resident mentioned that her air conditioning system was not installed correctly. Others cited hurricane damage to air conditioning units in other homes built by the New Orleans-based nonprofit Jericho Road Episcopal Housing Initiative.

The Office of Community Development said these kinds of issues should be addressed with Jericho Road and the contractors who built the homes.

“They don’t answer the phone. So what are (residents) supposed to do? Who are they supposed to contact? declared the chief of the Jean Charles Choctaw Nation, Démé Naquin.

OCD said this will help residents keep track of them. Belanger told WWNO that because South Central is also a code enforcement entity, once it takes over the commission it will be able to help residents resolve these issues.

“Because construction is critical to sustainability and resilience and we have seen some apparent defects, we are going to help them correct those issues,” he said.

OCD urged residents to submit these complaints as public comments so they can be recorded. Public comments are open until November 7.

Residents can submit their comments by:

• Send by email [email protected]
• Fax to 225.210.9605, Attn: Janice Lovett
• Mail to Disaster Recovery Unit, PO Box 94095, Baton Rouge, LA 70804-9095, Attn: Janice Lovett