mission/history

In May 2006, Common Ground assumed management of The Woodlands Apartment Complex, a low-income community in Algiers.

Since then Common Ground has provided approximately one million dollars in labor and material improvements to the complex. While rents across the city have skyrocketed, Common Ground management froze the rents at the Woodlands to pre-Katrina levels, fostered a strong tenants union and ran a workers' cooperative with paid skills training.

It was our goal to make The Woodlands an environmentally sustainable, attractive, safe and affordable home for hard working New Orleanians. The families now face a January 4th eviction deadline after the owner, Anthony "Reggie" Regginelli, sold the complex to Johnson Properties, a Baton Rouge-based group that is unwilling to house the tenants while renovations take place in sections of the complex.

Mission and Vision: Common Ground's mission is to provide short term relief for victims of hurricane disasters in the gulf coast region, and long term support in rebuilding the communities affected in the New Orleans area.

Common Ground is a community-initiated volunteer organization offering assistance, mutual aid and support. The work gives hope to communities by working with them, providing for their immediate needs and emphasizing people working together to rebuild their lives in sustainable ways.

Background and Problem: The Common Ground Collective was established in the first week after Hurricane Katrina flooded New Orleans. It was the first organization to open up a medical clinic in Algiers, and provide immediate assistance (food, water, supplies) to the thousands of low-income residents unable to evacuate.