A Statement from Christopher Homes
September 5, 2021
Since 1966, Christopher Homes has provided the elderly and those with physical disabilities opportunities to lease decent affordable housing throughout the New Orleans area in partnership with HUD. Christopher Homes now manages 21 apartment complexes with nearly 2,500 apartment units. One thousand one hundred of these apartments are located in Orleans Parish. Residents are independent living tenants with leases, and before storm season, all residents were required to provide a personal evacuation plan to property management, which verifies the plan.
Without a mandatory evacuation order, Christopher Homes could not close the buildings for Hurricane Ida. All residents were encouraged to evacuate. Two hundred eighty-six residents in Orleans Parish chose to stay in their apartments or did not have the means to evacuate without the resources usually provided by the City of New Orleans in a mandatory evacuation. Christopher Homes staff prepared and followed the city’s directives to shelter in place with the resources available.
A Christopher Homes management team was available to all remaining residents during and after the storm. Generators remained on site at all of the properties powering elevators and safety and other systems.
In the days following Sunday’s landfall, Christopher Homes leadership repeatedly requested assistance and resources from civil authorities. After the death of one of our residents was reported five days later, on Friday, September 3, civil authorities finally responded and provided resources to evacuate those residents who had not voluntarily evacuated. Those residents have been evacuated to state provided shelters where they will remain until power is restored to the apartment buildings.
Christopher Homes leadership and staff are saddened by the deaths of three residents in properties in Orleans Parish. The leadership is grateful for the care and compassion of the staff who stayed behind to help the residents who chose to stay and look forward to welcoming all residents to their homes once building inspections certify the safety of residents.
Without a mandatory evacuation order, Christopher Homes could not close the buildings for Hurricane Ida. All residents were encouraged to evacuate. Two hundred eighty-six residents in Orleans Parish chose to stay in their apartments or did not have the means to evacuate without the resources usually provided by the City of New Orleans in a mandatory evacuation. Christopher Homes staff prepared and followed the city’s directives to shelter in place with the resources available.
A Christopher Homes management team was available to all remaining residents during and after the storm. Generators remained on site at all of the properties powering elevators and safety and other systems.
In the days following Sunday’s landfall, Christopher Homes leadership repeatedly requested assistance and resources from civil authorities. After the death of one of our residents was reported five days later, on Friday, September 3, civil authorities finally responded and provided resources to evacuate those residents who had not voluntarily evacuated. Those residents have been evacuated to state provided shelters where they will remain until power is restored to the apartment buildings.
Christopher Homes leadership and staff are saddened by the deaths of three residents in properties in Orleans Parish. The leadership is grateful for the care and compassion of the staff who stayed behind to help the residents who chose to stay and look forward to welcoming all residents to their homes once building inspections certify the safety of residents.
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