New Orleans, Shreveport, and Baton Rouge make Wallethub’s list of top 25 cities most in need of charitable giving during the holiday season.
The Crescent city came in at three, and while the city is known for it’s cuisine, it ranked two in highest rate of food security. Wallethub analyst Jill Gonzales says it’s a persistent issue in New Orleans.
“The food insecurity rate is something that we have no really differ from year to year, in that we haven’t really seen it decrease the way that it needs to,” says Gonzales.
Gonzales says it’s also due to the fact that many homes in New Orleans do not have the appliances, or space, for cooking or storing food.
The Capital came in at 21, but where New Orleans’ problems were health-focused, Gonzales says Baton Rouge’s issues were very much economic. In particular the high school dropout rate.
“People dropping out and not really getting a sense of what to do next, a lot of times resulting in homelessness,” says Gonzales.
Shreveport was ranked 19th, and Gonzales says the city economy is suffering, leading to very high adult and child poverty rates, which often results in people sleeping on the streets.
“Shreveport was more on the economic side than the health side, especially when it comes to the share of homeless people,” says Gonzales.
