Geography Project Plan

Introduction

The service project identified is “Assisting Homeless Persons in Orleans, Louisiana (USA).” This project aims to provide the homeless populations in New Orleans, Louisiana (USA) with safe residential places free from substance and drug abuse. The construction of three rehabilitation centers in the area shall go a long way in preventing homelessness. The project is incorporated with input from my colleagues and the local populations.

General Overview and Rationale

Homelessness is a long-life global social challenge. As such, there are many homeless shelters in different countries. Homelessness yields to human degradation as it is a traumatic life event that leads to disruption of families, work, health status, and education (O’Regan, Ellen & House, 2021). According to Emo (2022), workers in homeless shelters struggle with the idea of helping homeless persons to live decent lives. Homelessness is a common phenomenon in the USA, with about 500,000 homeless persons living on the streets every night (The Council of Economic Advisors, 2019). The US Department of Housing and Urban Development (2020) supports the issue, which noted that about 570,000 persons slept outside on January 23, 2020. In New Orleans, Louisiana, homelessness has been a challenge for many years that has remained unsolved. Although in the recent past, there have been measures to minimize homelessness through the provision of free housing programs, the street population is highly increasing. Researchers indicate that in 2018, about 25.4% of persons in New Orleans lived below the poverty level (US Census Bureau, 2018). Many reasons explain why people reside in the city streets. Although some end up on the streets due to general poverty, Emo (2022) observes that others end up in the condition due to domestic violence, mental illness, and drug and substance abuse. The majority of street dwellers are drug and substance abusers.

With the increased number of homeless persons, there is a need to prevent the phenomenon. Some social organizations are prepared to assist the street and other homeless populations in Orleans. Local religious organizations such as churches have established programs to rehabilitate the alcohol and drug users in the city. The public is offered free basic needs, including clothes, shelter, and medical services. The services are provided in church-led organizations such as Covenant House, Bridge House, New Orleans Mission, and Grace House. My project aims to work together with local organizations such as religious institutions to educate New Orleans on new concepts in reducing substance and drug abuse among homeless persons. The project is anticipated to change many homeless people’s lives.

Region Relevance

New Orleans has a great history in Louisiana (USA). Bienville founded the city due to its accessibility through the Mississippi River. The town is found in the Gulf of Mexico along the Mississippi River Delta. The local people term it as “Big Easy.” The city forms a curve around the Mississippi River, hence its name, “Crescent City”. The region is found in the Gulf Coast, Southern region- USA. The area’s climate is sub-tropic, enabling the growth of various types of vegetation, including cypress trees. The climate is modified by neighboring water bodies such as Lake Pontchartrain and Lake Borgne. Other features, such as Mississippi winds, also change the local environment. The neighboring lakes make tornadoes to be a common feature of the region. New Orleans is characterized by coastal bays that consist of hollows and ridges. The features make the area less vulnerable to natural phenomena such as hurricanes.

Location Reference

New Orleans is located in Louisiana (USA). The area is divided into various Parishes and not counties. New Orleans is located in Orleans Parish. On the other hand, Metropolitan New Orleans is found in the western part and occupies various Parishes: St. John, St. Charles, St James. To the South, the metropolitan New Orleans occupies St Bernard, Plaquemines, and St. Jefferson. To the North, Metropolitan New Orleans occupies St. Tammany, among other parishes.

Place Relevance

The city is faced with many natural disasters, such as floods and hurricanes. However, its geographical features offer significant advantages to the local populations. It influences the economic growth and development of the continental interior.

Human Environmental Interaction Relevance

Like other natural habitats, New Orleans is affected by human interferences that have resulted in indications of reduction of some features, such as the subsidence of the ridges. Also, human activities such as farming have reduced wetlands, leading to instability in the Mississippi Delta basement. Despite the continued measures to control flooding, the place still faces the threat of flooding.

Movement Relevance

New Orleans is well connected through various forms of transport, such as water transport. The water bodies such as Lake Pontchartrain Lak,e Borgne, and River Mississippi make water transport easy. Therefore, transportation of the materials and equipment is through waterways in the region. However, the project management anticipates low local collaboration as they may resist change from their long-standing homeliness nature. Therefore, there is a need for a collaborative effort from all regional stakeholders, including policymakers.

Budget

The service project lacks an external funding body. Therefore, the researcher shall fund the project. The direct costs (DC) shall include transportation costs and materials purchased for use during the project. Directly allocated costs (DAC) encompass the researcher’s time, study rooms, and other spaces used. The indirect costs (IDC) shall include the University library and IT systems applied.

The following illustration shows the estimated project costs.

From the illustration above, the total project cost is $ 580. The researcher’s time and principal research assistant costs are nil. The project is conducted with help from the New Orleans local population and colleagues. The indirect costs are zero as the research uses the University’s amenities. Finally, the researcher has access to computers. Therefore, there is no need to purchase extra laptops.

Summary

Homelessness is an international social challenge. The phenomena are attributed to poverty, mental handicaps, domestic violence, and drug and substance abuse. The initial difficulties later lead to other issues, such as crime, thereby exacerbating the social problem. Therefore, there is a need to help homeless persons live independent lives. The project entitled “Assisting Homeless Persons in New Orleans, Louisiana (USA)” is aimed at helping prevent and reduce homelessness in the area. There is a need for the collective effort in community interventions and effective policies, including the construction of rehabilitation centers for drug and substance addicts, equal employment opportunities for homeless persons, and the construction of homeless shelters in specified areas. With a concerted effort from all stakeholders, the project shall help in the attainment of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

References

Emo, Z. (2022). The key factors contributing to the persistence of homelessness. InternationalJournal of Sustainable Development and World Ecology. 30(1): 1-5. https://doi:10.1080/13504509.2022.2120109

O’Regan, K.M. Ellen, I.G. & House, S. (2021). How to address homelessness: Reflections from research. The Annals of the American Academy of political and social science. 693 (1). https://doi.org/10.1177/0002716221995158

The Council of Economic Advisors. (2019). The State of Homelessness in America. The Council of Economic Advisors

US Census Bureau. (2018). 2018 National and State Population Estimates. US Census Bureau

US Department of Housing and Urban Development. (2020). the 2019 annual homeless assessment report to Congress. Part1: pointy-in –time estimates of homelessness. Office of Community Planning and Development. https://doi.org/files.hudexchnage.info/resource/documents/2019-AHAR-part-1-pdf/