The Louisiana Housing Alliance (LHA) is a nonprofit statewide coalition which works to ensure the preservation and production of quality affordable housing for low and moderate income Louisianans and those with special needs.

LHA has a beginning much different from most housing alliances.  The devastation to the state’s housing stock resulting from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005 highlighted the need for various nonprofit housing networks, working independently of one another, to collaborate. The movement around hurricane recovery and working in areas suffering widespread destruction has provided an opportunity to identify statewide housing challenges and opportunities.

As a result of the leadership of the National Low Income Housing Coalition in January 2006, which convened a meeting in New Orleans of housing advocates, social service providers and housing providers, the decision was made to create a statewide advocacy organization that could strengthen the position of local and regional advocates and providers.  The Louisiana Association of Nonprofit Organizations (LANO) assumed initial responsibility for developing and staffing LHA and, after building the capacity of the organization to operate independently, has continued to play a pivotal role in supporting LHA’s policy initiatives.