New drinking fountains around New Orleans to help homeless

NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — The organization, Grace at the Green Light helps serve the homeless population in New Orleans.

One of their missions is through an initiative called, “Hydrate NOLA.”

WGNO’s Kenny Lopez explains how they’re installing water fountains around the city to help those living on the streets.

When you live on the streets and you’re thirsty, it’s not always easy to know where to go to find water.

“Dehydration is a huge issue within our unhoused community. Dehydration further exacerbates medical conditions, especially for those living on the streets so we wanted to provide clean drinking water and provide access to that 24-7,” Sarah Parks, Executive Director of Grace at the Green Light.

For the past 12 years, it’s been Grace at the Green Light’s mission to help the homeless. That’s why they teamed up with NORD and the City of New Orleans to install 16 water fountains around the city. Their latest fountain is now at the park at Rosenwald Recreation Center.

“We did research and we could only locate less than five fountains and they weren’t in accessible areas, so having accessible water has been an important mission of ours,” she said.

With the “Hydrate NOLA” program they maintain the fountains.

“We come and make sure they are clean and clear of graffiti,” she said.

Grace at the Green Light’s Executive Director, Sarah Parks said, “The city donated $60,000 to help pay for these water fountains.

“We’re happy to provide the basic needs, not only for our unhoused community, but also our local family, friends and neighbors,” Parks said.

“We all need to stay hydrated and we are happy to play a part in that,” she said.

Annunciation Park will be the next location to be getting a new water fountain.

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