What We Do
Below Sea Level Aid is committed to keeping all of our services truly low-barrier. We never require personal identification, proof of residency, or proof of income to access support. Everyone deserves care without paperwork, prerequisites, or judgment—and our programs are built to meet people exactly where they are, with dignity, respect, and no strings attached.
Lagniappe Health Services
Through Lagniappe, trained staff and outreach workers provide rapid HIV and STI testing, basic wound care, and health navigation services designed to connect community members to ongoing care. The program also offers linkage to PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) and other prevention tools, helping individuals access medication and providers who support their health goals.
Community members can also access free rapid HIV/STI testing every other Tuesday from 2pm–5pm at AbsoluteCare, making it easy to stop by, get tested, and connect with additional health resources in a supportive environment.
Neutral Ground Community Outreach
Through Neutral Ground, individuals can receive items such as hygiene products, menstrual supplies, diapers, clothing, harm reduction supplies, and other basic necessities. The program is rooted in the belief that everyone deserves access to the resources they need to care for themselves and their families, regardless of income, housing status, or circumstance.
To make support as accessible as possible, community members can text the Neutral Ground Mutual Aid Hotline at (504) 408-1888 to request supplies. The Below Sea Level Aid team coordinates free deliveries throughout New Orleans, helping reach individuals who may face barriers to transportation, mobility, or traditional service systems.
Red Umbrella NOLA
Sex workers are an essential part of New Orleans’ cultural and nightlife economy. Yet many workers face barriers to healthcare, housing stability, financial support, and safety resources. Red Umbrella NOLA was created to help fill these gaps through direct assistance, outreach, and community-centered programming.
Through this initiative, participants can access small emergency grants, harm reduction supplies, safety kits, and connections to health services and community support. The program prioritizes dignity, confidentiality, and self-determination, recognizing that sex workers know their own needs best.
Individuals interested in accessing services can reach out through our mutual aid hotline at (504) 408-1888 to request support, learn about available resources, or connect with our team.
PARISH Drug Checking
Through PARISH, trained outreach workers offer education on safer use practices, overdose prevention and reversal trainings, and community-based needle clean-up efforts to support both individuals and neighborhoods. The program also distributes safer use kits and harm reduction supplies designed to reduce the risks associated with drug use.
A key component of PARISH is linkage to drug checking services, helping community members access information about substances in the local supply. By connecting people to testing resources and education about contamination risks, the program helps individuals better understand what they may be using and how to reduce potential harm.
Safe Grounds is a community response program operated through the PARISH initiative at Below Sea Level Aid that provides safe collection and disposal of improperly discarded syringes throughout the Greater New Orleans area. Residents, business owners, and community members can submit a request when they encounter used syringes in public spaces such as sidewalks, parks, neutral grounds, and parking lots.