Our History

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The New Legacy Foundation(NLF) was created in direct response to requests from the communities NLF aims to serve. Residents have made it clear that the issues facing their home are insurmountable and relocation is their best opportunity for a better future. This assertion is not made lightly, as relocation presents a myriad of challenges and trade offs. In certain areas, it is however, the best option to protect the health and safety of residents. 

The need to reshape the landscape is not uncommon in our modern world. Governments have regularly moved populations for the construction of new infrastructure and private industries have  moved residents both in response to conflicting land-uses as well as preemptively to make way for new developments. This has taken place extensively throughout Louisiana, particularly in the industrial corridor along the Mississippi River.

Nationally, relocation is becoming a strategy that is being increasingly utilized to address the problem of populations in harm's way. Government buy-out programs were utilized in response to both Hurricane Sandy on the east coast and Hurricane Harvey in the Houston area. These are two examples of many. Here in Louisiana, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service and Louisiana’s Office of Community Development (OCD) created a buy-out opportunity for the Louisiana community of Pecan Acres in Point Coupee Parish where the neighborhood experiences repetitive flooding. These various programs are aimed to remove populations from areas of high risk. Additionally, as Louisiana faces increased flooding from sea level rise, coastal land-loss and subsidence, relocation is being pursued as a solution for populations outside of hurricane protection infrastructure. Isle de Jean Charles residents have been navigating a resettlement effort with Louisiana's Office of Community Development. Louisiana’s Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority’s (CPRA) 2017 Master Plan estimates 2,400 homes in Louisiana can not be adequately protected and may need an opportunity to relocate.

The efforts of the New Legacy Foundation (NLF) are in no way intended to compete with or replace these various efforts. However, NLF is working to be informed by these many historic and current examples and offer a complimentary solution that builds on the widely utilized and necessary strategy of reshaping communities to protect and improve their safety and sustainability. 

NLF is working collaboratively to bring conflicting stakeholders together to improve lives and build better communities. Historically, buy-out’s have functioned as a type of settlement, compensation for damages to a community limited by either the bottom-line of a private corporation or the red tape of government funding. NLF sees our program as an empowerment tool, providing residents who need it most, the resources and support to shape a future in which they can thrive. While our activities may resolve historic challenges, our efforts are forward looking. 

NLF’s process places special consideration on accommodating family and social networks, preserving historical and cultural significance as well as providing title services and other expenses associated with relocation. Unlike, other buy-out programs, NLF disassociates the resources offered from the depreciated asset the residents currently own. Additionally, residents are provided financial counseling and guidance on improving their housing situation by identifying issues such as zoning, flood risks, access to community services and other related issues.