In tonight’s State of the Union address, President Bush misrepresented the housing crisis in New Orleans.

Tonight the armies of compassion continue the march to a new day in the Gulf Coast. America honors the strength and resilience of the people of this region. We reaffirm our pledge to help them build stronger and better than before.

Hurricane Katrina destroyed “nearly 41,000 inexpensive rentals.” Since then, the city of New Orleans began demolishing “4,500 units of public housing, making way for mixed-income neighborhoods with only 800 units of public housing, an 82% reduction in size.”

The city is facing an acute housing shortage. Rents have almost doubled since before the storm. But HUD, the federal housing authority, is pressing ahead with the demolition. 50% of families who want to but are unable to return to New Orleans make less than $20,000 a year.

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