(CNN) -- From soup kitchen director Rita Baldwin's perspective, the notion that "homeless people are the scum of the earth" has returned to her Gulf Coast town, which still struggles four years after Hurricane Katrina. Loaves and Fishes executive director Rita Baldwin poses with her son, Scott Blain, who works at the kitchen. Baldwin -- formerly homeless herself -- found that "the storm was a great neutralizer. It put us all on the same level." That social pendulum is swinging back to the pre-Katrina world, she said, but she added that the community has shown a renewed sense of compassion.
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As the city recovers from Katrina, Loaves and Fishes sees more visitors
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Clientele include the homeless, day laborers, out-of-luck gamblers
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"I think we'll feel the effects of Katrina for a long time," mayor said
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He expects to break ground on a $400 million infrastructure project in January
"The economy really didn't get bad for those of us in @placeholder areas because so much money was flushed into these areas to help us get back up on our feet.