Nearly 20 years after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, just six of the 109 inexpensive houses Brad Pitt's Make It Right Foundation built for low-income people are still livable.
According to Judith Keller, an urban geographer for Market Watch, the vast majority of the homes, which cost $26.8 million to build, are plagued by construction-related issues that have resulted in mold, termites, rotting wood, and flooding, and six of the homes are currently vacant due to mold, rot, and other structural issues after they were built without the city's subtropical climate in mind. Residents were able to buy them at a reduced price of $150,000.
Locals are concerned over Brad Pitt's Make It Right Foundation's works
Because of the extensive mold, two of the homes have been destroyed, and one of the properties has been seized by the city as a safety hazard.'
Many of the houses that are still standing have rusted roofs and evident water damage to the sides of the structure while several lots are still vacant over 20 years after the storm, according to photos from the neighborhood. Even the wooden structures that people may live in are starting to fall, Keller warned on Tuesday.
Many locals are concerned about their health and safety as a result of the situation, with others alleging that the continual mold exposure is making them sick. Others have stated that they are continually on the edge, that the situation is extremely stressful, and that they believe they have been taken advantage of on a massive scale.
Make It Right has been sued by several people; however, the group has not yet resolved the concerns and has stopped supporting them. Make It Right staff were observed leaving their office in the neighborhood last month, according to Keller, and it now looks to be defunct.
Between 2008 and 2015, more than 100 green Make It Right homes were completed. The project, which also featured a communal garden in the city's Lower Ninth Ward and regular meetings for the new homeowners, cost $26.8 million, according to the nonprofit.
With safe and recyclable materials, clean water, and renewable energy, the architects who designed these homes strove to make them green and sustainable. Solar panels and energy-efficient heating and cooling systems were also installed in all of the residences.
Even though the Lower Ninth Ward is below sea level and has been hit by hurricanes in the past, many of the houses lacked rain gutters, overhangs, waterproof paintwork, or covered beams - all of which are required to resist the city's subtropical environment and high rains, according to Mail Online.
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Brad Pitt takes credit to the green housing project
Since its inception in 2007, Brad Pitt, who has been the organization's public figure, has continued to serve on the board of directors. Because of his role as the creator and principal fundraiser of Make It Right, Pitt's attorneys claimed that he could not be prosecuted over the housing development's flaws, but a court determined in 2019 that the movie star would remain a defendant.
Since 2018, the group has allegedly failed to file a 990 form, which is required by the IRS for all charities to file annually. According to local media, a bank is suing it. It no longer has a website, and the phone number it provided in its 2018 IRS filing no longer works.
Even the individual who mows the Make It Right properties that aren't being used has informed reporters that the organization owes him money. For alleged mismanagement, Make It Right is suing many former executives as well as its primary architect. The Make It Right Foundation was likewise unable to be reached by phone or email by the Conversation US.
In Kansas City, a comparable affordable housing project called Make It Right has been halted, leaving vacant lots in the city's streets. In addition to Montana, where additional legal concerns emerged, and New Jersey, the foundation has worked on projects in both states, as per Insider.
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