Losing pace

The mayor's office worked hard to put a positive spin on these 2000 affordable housing "opportunities" but that's not really the point of this report.  The point is to remindividual us that it's not enough.

Even as the city works to address the shortage of affordable housing, the percentage of people who spent more than 30 percent of their income on rent ticked up by almost 3 points in 2015. That means housing advocates need to look closely at the net amount of affordable housing that is available, not just the extra units the city helped bring online this year.

Such a large increase in affordable housing comes at a cost. The city allocated about $17.3 million for housing programs in 2016; Morris said she is hoping for more funding next year.

“That’s another reason why the report card is timed the way that it is, so the community can go into budget season understanding what needs to be prioritized,” she said. Landrieu will present his proposed 2017 budget in mid-October.

Housing is becoming less affordable. It's not time to stop and congratulate anybody.