NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - City leaders face challenges in the city’s push to find permanent housing for the homeless.

Unity of Greater New Orleans, an organization that works to end homelessness in the city, said the process of housing homeless people has slowed down because there’s difficulty finding proper living spaces for them.

Kimbo King has called the I-10 overpass on North Claiborne Avenue his home for a year and a half.

“It’s a concentration camp for me,” King said. King said he moved to New Orleans from Florida for better opportunities.

“I’m not I am not happy, living like this,” he said. “I came to New Orleans to start over so, this is how I start over.”

He said no one has tried to help him. That is why he said took a job as an oyster shucker.

“I am 44 years old, I go to work, been working all my life,” he said.

Cynthia Legon said she gives food to the homeless here on North Claiborne all the time. She said the encampments sicken her.

“They need help just like we need help,” Legon said. “We can help ourselves, but a lot of people are not capable of doing that.”

Last month, the city cleared a homeless encampment on Tchoupitoulas and Calliope Streets. At the time, they were able to find temporary housing for many of those people.

Valerie Coffin of Unity of Greater New Orleans said she is working with the city to house more homeless who live in the community.

Coffin said the process is slow because it is difficult to find proper living spaces for them.

“Every night that someone is not in their own home is a tragedy,” Coffin said. “We always need more resources for people to have apartments that meet guidelines regarding being habitable.”

Coffin said at least 31 people are in search of housing on the Claiborne corridor. She said Unity has assisted 22 people in other encampments across the city with two being housed this week.

Coffin said at least 400 people in Orleans and Jefferson Parishes over the next three years.

“We need landlords in property managers to provide units and a lot of our agencies still need staff,” she said. We really need people who want to do some good work it makes a difference in the community.”

Coffin also said Unity of Greater New Orleans will have programs available in January to enhance the process of housing the homeless.

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