Before the COVID pandemic, all but two of residential contractor Charles Aponza’s 15 employees lived in New Orleans’ Mid City and Seventh Ward neighborhoods, where most of the construction firm’s job sites are located.
Today, amid the growing shortage of affordable housing in the city, all but two live outside of New Orleans in less pricey suburban areas of Metairie, Kenner or the West Bank.
Charles Aponza, owner of Brighter Horizons Construction Inc., works at a home construction site in New Orleans on Thursday, March 16, 2023. (Photo by Brett Duke, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
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