Vera Institute of Justice

Overview

In 2025, New Orleans endured a year of crisis, change, and turmoil. An unprecedented snowstorm, a terrorist attack, a jail break, the Super Bowl, and federal incursions by the National Guard and Immigration and Customs Enforcement all collided in a single year, testing the city’s resilience and straining its capacity to respond. These overlapping challenges came at a steep cost, and at year’s end, the city faced a budget shortfall of more than $150 million.

Rather than stabilizing New Orleans, city officials decided to claw back millions of dollars from recovery funds and end investments in youth, health, violence prevention, and infrastructure—the very systems that allow communities to thrive. These disinvestments undermine public safety, economic stability, and trust in government, putting New Orleans’s long-term security at risk.

The year 2026 must mark a turning point. With a new mayor and city council, New Orleans has a rare opportunity to course correct—to rebuild not through austerity and crisis management, but through intentional investment in its people and communities.