Archdiocese of New Orleans plans to sell Christopher Homes low-income senior housing (2025)

The Archdiocese of New Orleans is preparing to sell Christopher Homes, which provides housing for low-income seniors at 15 apartment complexes across the metro area, as part of a broader plan to shrink the church's footprint and shed affiliated charities.

The local Roman Catholic church notified the roughly 1,700 residents of the properties of its plans in a letter Wednesday, shortly before issuing a solicitation for proposals to real estate brokers interested in marketing the properties for sale.

There's no publicly disclosed list price being sought by the church for the properties, which include the 9-story Christopher Inn in the heart of the Faubourg Marigny, Wynhoven Apartments I & II in Marrero and The Apartments at Mater Dolorosa, located in a historic school building on South Carrollton Ave.

There's also no public timeline for how long the sale process might take. In its letter to residents, the archdiocese said, "It is our intent you continue to have decent, affordable, independent housing, without interruption, for the foreseeable future."

The move to sell Christopher Homes comes as the archdiocese isoffloading old churches, vacant schools and buildings, and affiliated charities in an effort to raise money to settle claims with survivors of clergy sex abuse. Archbishop Gregory Aymond placed the local church under federal bankruptcy protection five years ago amid a growing number of lawsuits alleging child rape and molestation by priests, deacons and other clergy or employees of the church.

Five years later,600 abuse survivors have filed claims in bankruptcy court and the two sides remain at an impasse over a fair settlement, according to statements made last week in court by a mediator in the case.

'Prime real estate'

The archdiocese's need to raise money to bring the long-running case to a close may influence who it sells the properties to and what happens to the residents.

In a prepared statement, the church said its goal is to "insure the care of the people who live in the Christopher Homes, but under bankruptcy law, we have to maximize the value of the assets."

In its letter to the residents, the archdiocese said there wouldn't be any disruptions while the buildings are on the market and negotiations are taking place. The letter stops short of guaranteeing residents, whose income is capped at 60% of the area median income, or about $35,000 year, that they will be able to remain in their apartments if the properties are sold to a private developer.

“Any purchaser ... will be required to follow applicable laws and the rules and regulations of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development that relate to the continuance of your current living arrangement post acquisition,” the letter said.

HUD requires that buyers find comparably priced housing for displaced residents of federally subsidized properties and that they pay moving expenses as well. It does not require that residents be allowed to stay together or in proximity to familiar neighborhoods or services.

Jan Bruno, 70, a resident of Christopher Inn, the high-rise complex in the heart of Faubourg Marigny and likely the most valuable of the 15 properties in the Christopher Homes portfolio, said residents are fearful of being evicted if the complex is sold.

“I don’t know why they wouldn’t kick us out. This is prime real estate,” Bruno said. “I am still able bodied and can read and write. It’s not so easy for some of the others. They won’t recover if they’re forced to leave.”

Easier said than done?

While Bruno said the letter came as a surprise to many of the neighbors in her building, Aymond alluded to the possibility earlier this year in an open letter to the city’s 500,000 Catholics.

Christopher Homes was founded by the late Archbishop Phillip Hannan in 1966 and eventually grew to include 21 apartment complexes around the metro area. In the early 2010s, the church sold six of the complexes to Providence Community Housing, a local nonprofit that develops affordable housing.

Last fall, it turned over management of the remaining 15 properties to Providence, though it retained ownership. Providence now runs all the properties under the Christopher Homes brand.

The Providence-owned complexes — Annunciation Inn; Nazareth Inn 1 & 2; St John Berchmans; Delille Inn and St. Anne’s — are not for sale.

Providence CEO Terri North said in February that her organization would be interested in purchasing the church-owned complexes, though she said the church has not had any discussions with her about it.

The church had received a potential offer from an out-of-state investor, who has proposed buying them for as much as $150 million, according to a source familiar with the case.

Though the church could sell the properties to a private investor, as a practical matter it’s easier said than done.

“It’s very complicated because all these properties have large HUD mortgages and a lot of regulatory agreements,” North said at the time. “It’s not that you can’t undo those things but it’s not straightforward. You can’t just come in and throw people out on the street.”