PNOLA: Lower Mid-City Rising

When Paul Ikemire moved to New Orleans in 2005 to attend Tulane Medical School, he had no idea what an impact his new neighborhood and the following months would have on his life.

Wanting to live close to the medical school and be part of the community he expected to serve at Charity Hospital, he

bought a house in Lower Mid-City. The neighborhood had the lowest median income in New Orleans and was in major disrepair after years of blight and disinvestment, yet it was located a stone’s throw from the French Quarter and downtown New Orleans.

With a background in political science and medicine, and with experience serving in Indonesia after the tsunami, Paul wanted to engage in community development alongside his neighbors. But not long after he had settled in and started classes, Hurricane Katrina left Lower Mid-City standing in 5-7 feet of water. Without a network of residents in place and with little government support and few internal resources, the neighborhood’s future looked bleak.

While most medical students lived Uptown or moved there after the storm, Paul couldn’t neglect his new community. He quickly rebuilt his home amidst a 120-block area of devastation and started a nonprofit called The Phoenix of New Orleans (PNOLA), a neighborhood-based organization committed to galvanizing the entire area in solidarity. PNOLA’s first mission was to assist in the arduous process of gutting and rebuilding homes in the community.

In early 2006, PNOLA received its non-profit designation, helped restore neighborhood services, and assisted residents with a variety of disaster-related issues. Since then, PNOLA has worked to strategically support and connect small and large development projects in the area-from the GNOF-funded Broad Street Bazaar to new apartment complexes to the Lafitte Corridor to plans for a healthy grocery store. They have also engaged in the discussion regarding the UMC/VA hospital development project. Viewing Lower Mid-City as a vital link between the past challenges and future hopes of the city, they aim to see it crowned one of the most diverse, accessible, and equitable neighborhoods in the city.

PNOLA received a 2008 Plans-Into-Action grant from the Greater New Orleans Foundation.