When Tracey Gilbert lived in a homeless encampment along the Mississippi River, she feared the harsh winds that blew across the water during thunderstorms. Her tent would rattle, water would soak her clothes, and sand would creep into the cracks and crevices of everything she owned.
But on Thursday morning, as the remnants of Tropical Storm Arthur whipped through New Orleans, Gilbert awoke bone dry inside of her new home on Independence Street, her collection of art, clothes and knickknacks undisturbed.
After living for four months on the Bywater riverfront area known as the “End of the World” Gilbert was one of a dozen people told to move along in April by the city. She had moved to the riverfront following an extended period sheltering in the nearby Naval Station, but that ended when developers broke ground on a $300 million plan to renovate the facility.
She found her way to the pale yellow shotgun on Independence Street through a partnership between city and housing nonprofits that connected her with subsidized housing…