What is NENA?
The Lower Ninth Ward Neighborhood Empowerment Network Association (NENA) was established in the aftermath of Katrina to play a lead role in rebuilding New Orleans’ Lower 9th Ward.
Organized and controlled by residents of the Lower Ninth Ward, NENA addresses not only the immediate recovery needs created by the storm’s destruction, but also the institutional neglect and disinvestment that plagued the neighborhood long before Katrina. NENA works with current Lower Ninth Ward residents, displaced residents living in other parts of New Orleans, and the broader diaspora who want to return to the neighborhood.
NENA utilizes an innovative resident-based approach to the comprehensive rebuilding of the Lower Ninth Ward, providing services and implementing sustainable programs in community outreach, case management, design and construction administration, home and school rebuilding, and economic development.
NENA has eleven staff members, in the areas of management and administration, outreach, case management, economic development, and the Design Studio. Its Board of Directors includes seven members, all of whom live, work, or worship in the Lower Ninth Ward.
In addition, NENA has ongoing partnerships with Warnke Community Consulting, a community development consulting firm that provides organizational and property development assistance; the Loyola School of Law; and numerous local organizations. NENA is the lead facilitator of the Lower 9th Ward Stakeholders Coalition, and is a member of the Greater New Orleans Disaster Recovery Partnership.