Despite billions of federal dollars earmarked for rebuilding the Katrina-ravaged Mississippi Gulf Coast, a special report finds that many of the area's low-income and working families are being locked out from the bulk of the recovery effort benefits.
The report concludes that much of the focus and attention by federal and state policy toward rebuilding "has been slow, disjointed and often not reflective of key voices in Mississippi. " Mississippi One Year Later: Creating Innovative Public Policy to Rebuild and Transform a Region," the report was prepared by Rutgers University for the Mississippi State Conference NAACP.
NAACP President & CEO Bruce S. Gordon said: "This report is not so much a condemnation of the federal and state governments, but a clarion call for increased resources to speed the full recovery of the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Much has been done in the past year by government and private agencies including the NAACP to assist residents of hurricane ravaged areas, but more needs to be done."
Derrick Johnson, President, Mississippi State Conference NAACP, said: "For the poorest, low-wage residents of the Gulf the storm dealt a disproportionate, catastrophic blow. Many of these residents have no assurance by local, state or the federal government that they can return to their communities to resettle and regain their self-reliance."
The NAACP, in partnership with Oxfam America, will host a town hall meeting from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. August 26 at the Good Deeds Community Center, 15101 Madison Street in Gulfport, Miss, to discuss rebuilding efforts in the area. Panelists at the forum will include Gordon, Oxfam America President Ray Offenheiser, actor/activist Danny Glover and Barbara Arnwine, Executive Director, Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.
Although economic development along the Mississippi Gulf Coast has begun to rebound due to the casino and hotel industries, jobs in this sector pay wages that are just above the federal poverty wage, according to the report. The construction industry is also providing many jobs, but still the effects on low-wage workers and families are disproportionate because affordable housing is pushing low-wage workers further from job sites, increasing transportation costs and further reducing household income.
In addition, Mississippi-based companies, particularly small businesses and small disadvantaged businesses, have not shared in the construction boom. Of the more than $7 billion awarded in federal contracts for Katrina recovery through July, only $198 million has been awarded to Mississippi businesses.
Finally, the nonprofit and faith-based communities of the Mississippi Gulf Coast were frequently the difference between life and death for many Katrina survivors. They provided food, clothing and shelter to tens of thousands of Mississippi residents. However, their efforts were designed for short-term help, not long term assistance. Nonprofits and faith-based institutions could do more in the long-term, but need technical assistance and coordination among various efforts to be more effective.
Other key findings in the report include:
- Rebuilding policies, especially those policies focused on compensating individual homeowners, have the potential to shift resources meant for the most vulnerable communities to communities (while severely affected by the storm) that do not fit the profile and guidelines for serving low-income communities as stated in HUD guidelines.
- While planning for rebuilding is in place, the actual capacity for physical development is limited due to the high demand for skilled labor, building material and project financing.
- Predatory lending practices that plagued vulnerable Mississippi communities before the hurricane are still in force and now retain the potential to drain resources from newly compensated low-to-moderate income households.
- The faith community that was one of the first responders and most effective in delivering services is still called to perform similar duties without much assistance, compensation and training for what they do.
- Limited effort has been invested in developing policies for those displaced to other regions by the storms.
- Given the limited base of capital in the private, public and regional philanthropic sectors, civil society in Mississippi must develop and nurture a philanthropic base that will help sustain rebuilding, development and transformation.
The full report is available online at: Envisioning a Better Mississippi: Report
Hurricane Katrina was the deadliest and costliest storm this country has ever seen. It caused more than 1,800 deaths, primarily in Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama. The three Mississippi coastal counties of Hancock, Harrison and Jackson had more than 64,000 homes destroyed and over 70,000 homes damaged.
Johnson said, "This report is a warning that the next steps taken by the state and federal government are the critical ones needed to move toward economic recovery or backwards into a system of inequality and unfairness that have long characterized our state in decades past."
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