When it comes to shared housing in New Orleans, families with children have some special considerations to take into account. The city of New Orleans and Orleans Parish are interchangeable, as their limits are the same and they contain the same population. Internet access is an important factor to consider, as studies have shown that without broadband, access to computers, and comprehensive technology training services, workers and students are at a disadvantage in the labor market and education system. In Orleans Parish, only 71 percent of homes have access to the Internet through a home Internet service, such as broadband (cable, DSL, or fiber), satellite, or dial-up service.
Tammany Parish is above the national average, with 84 percent of households connected to the Internet using a home service Internet connection. Subscription-free Internet access refers to households that only have access through group access locations, such as school, work, a library, or a coffee shop. When it comes to housing costs, the proportion of homeowners who pay more than 50 percent of household income on their mortgages, taxes, utilities and insurance is only 11 percent in the metropolitan area. This gap between tenants and homeowners has widened over time.
America's aging housing stock represents both a potential problem and an opportunity. Older homes are less energy efficient and more expensive to maintain. In addition, research has shown that lead poisoning in children is strongly linked to living in homes prior to 1950. In New Orleans, many older homes are protected by preservation laws that have helped preserve the city's historic character. A metropolitan region is partially defined by the travel patterns of its residents.
Travel has been increasingly studied as its costs and burdens (physical, mental, family, etc.) can be significant. In the 17 years since 2004, the share of adults with less than a high school degree has dropped from 25 percent to 10 percent in New Orleans. As households with children have declined, the proportion of single-person households has grown in the metropolitan area and across the country. In Orleans Parish, approximately half of black children live in poverty while 5 percent of white children are poor. The disparity between homeownership rates for white and black heads of households is lower in Orleans Parish than elsewhere in the country; 63 percent of white heads of households own their homes.
The increase in the proportion of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher in the metropolitan area has been accompanied by a decline in the proportion of adults with less than a high school degree. A high proportion of these homeowners often indicate that they are residents who live in the same house for long periods of time and help protect neighborhoods from foreclosure. Across the country and throughout the New Orleans metropolitan area, there has been a significant increase in people working from home since the COVID-19 pandemic hit. The proportion of New Orleans adults who have a bachelor's degree has grown in all racial and ethnic groups since 1980. In Jefferson Parish, the proportion of the population that first moved to the parish was 5 percent in 2004 and hasn't changed significantly. However, at 17%, New Orleans' share is more than double that of neighboring parishes, indicating the importance of a strong public transportation system and a comprehensive evacuation plan.
Joint custody is similar to joint custody in that both parents have the same legal authority with respect to important decisions in their children's lives. From a practical standpoint, joint custody also requires both parents to live relatively close to each other. Meanwhile, in Jefferson Parish, 72 percent of the housing stock was built in the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s; only 20 percent of the housing stock has been built since 1990. When it comes to shared housing for families with kids in New Orleans there are several factors that need to be taken into account: internet access availability; cost burden; age of housing stock; travel patterns; educational attainment; homeownership rates; and joint custody agreements.
