The Greater New Orleans Housing Alliance is a leading coalition advancing housing justice, affordability, and community power in Greater New Orleans and across Louisiana. Founded in 2007 after Hurricane Katrina, GNOHA brings affordable housing developers, community development organizations, advocates, and community partners together to move equitable housing solutions.
GNOHA’s mission is to collaborate with and support member efforts to build affordable housing and create affordable housing opportunities for residents of the Greater New Orleans area in an ethical, efficient, and equitable manner. Through coalition coordination, public education, research, advocacy, and strategic communications, GNOHA helps turn shared housing priorities into policy action.
GNOHA has helped build civic and political infrastructure around housing, including incubating HousingNOLA and leading efforts such as #PutHousingFirst, candidate questionnaires, and scorecards. This work makes housing a visible public issue and gives residents and partners tools to hold decision-makers accountable.
Within New Orleans and Louisiana’s electoral and advocacy ecosystem, GNOHA connects housing justice with voter education, electoral accountability, climate resilience, energy affordability, racial equity, disaster recovery, and democracy work.
GNOHA is structured as a membership organization that has both voting and advisory members. Its affairs are managed by a Board of Governors. The entire membership meets monthly in order to exchange information and work together to advocate a collective vision. Throughout the month, the standing working committees meet in order to think deeply about and discuss specific challenges and opportunities facing the affordable housing community.
GNOHA’s monthly meeting schedule and committee structure encourage dissemination of information, shared visioning and collective problem solving. These outcomes build the capacity of member organizations by building their bases of knowledge and support. As such, GNOHA is well positioned to connect affordable housing builders to consumers and policy makers both in conversation and in practice.
GNOHA and HousingNOLA
The Greater New Orleans Housing Alliance incubated and facilitated conversations that led to HousingNOLA, the first-ever 10 year plan to ensure affordable housing for all New Orleanians. With the plan in place, HousingNOLA evolved into an independent organization that continues to coordinate community conversations. As such, GNOHA now plays a watchdog role, ensuring that the community-crafted housing plan is taken serious and put into action by local policymakers.