Rising Rent

After putting her two-bedroom apartment in the Bywater on the market last month, Nicole Hartford's phone rang off the hook. More than 25 people wanted to rent the apartment, even though Hartford was asking $900 a month, almost twice what she got for the space before Katrina.

The winning applicant was Marilyn Johnson, an unemployed fast-food worker who was desperate for a place to live. Johnson and her family were recently evicted from their temporary home in Lafayette, where they had evacuated after the hurricane, and were living in a hotel in New Orleans while looking for permanent housing.

Hartford said she decided to rent the apartment to Johnson because she felt sorry for her and because Johnson could afford to pay top dollar; she had a federal Section 8 voucher worth $964 a month in rental assistance.

from the Times Picayune