Musicians’ Village was created in the wake of Hurricane Katrina to give New Orleans artists a place to rebuild—not just their homes, but their lives. It wasn’t just about housing. It was about culture. About community. About honoring the people who make this city what it is.

Now, the very people who were given a lifeline nearly two decades ago are facing eviction unless they can suddenly afford to pay more than triple their current rent.

In early 2025, New Orleans Habitat for Humanity quietly sold 52 rental units—including 8 in Musicians’ Village—to a private landlord, Stable Housing LLC, for just over $1.7 million. That new owner, Sam Madi, immediately began notifying tenants—many elderly, on fixed incomes, and with deep roots in the city’s music and arts scene—that rent would increase from around $400 to as much as $1,200. Starting January 1st.

These are not luxury condos. They’re homes built for the very people who lost everything in Katrina. People like Lolet Boutte, a beloved visual artist and member of the Boutte musical family, who says she can’t afford to stay and no longer feels welcome in the neighborhood she helped rebuild.

This is a part of a pattern of cultural displacement. It’s about broken promises. And it’s about who gets to remain in the heart of New Orleans as gentrification continues to push out Black residents and culture bearers.

We, the undersigned, are calling on:

New Orleans City Council President JP Morrell
Mayor LaToya Cantrell
Habitat for Humanity New Orleans
Stable Housing LLC (Sam Madi)
…to act now.

We demand the immediate preservation of affordable rents in Musicians’ Village for existing tenants, and a broader commitment to keeping this community rooted in the people who built it.

Photo: Brett Duke / The Times-Picayune