Leaders review Bayou Area housing

Chopper crashes in Terrebonne
February 27, 2017
A FEDERAL JUDGE COMES HOME
February 28, 2017
Chopper crashes in Terrebonne
February 27, 2017
A FEDERAL JUDGE COMES HOME
February 28, 2017

Local stakeholders discussed how to improve the Bayou Region’s access to much-needed affordable housing in the area.

According to a fact sheet provided by the Greater New Orleans Housing Alliance, about] one in five households in Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes meet their threshold of being cost-burdened. Officials from local and state government, school boards and nonprofits met at the Terrebonne Parish Library to discuss housing as part of the GNOHA’s statewide listening tour.


The GNOHA’s housing information on Terrebonne and Lafourche, based on 2015 data, paints a picture of economies each facing their own challenges with a weak oil market and its resulting issues. Lafourche’s median income of more than

$52,000 is considerably higher than Terrebonne’s of almost $42,000, while Terrebonne’s poverty rate of 22 percent is almost double that of 12 percent in Lafourche. While Terrebonne’s setbacks related to the oil glut seem larger, both are nearly identical in cost-burdened households, which pay at least 30 percent of household income toward housing. Terrebonne’s rate of 20 percent of cost-burdened homes was just ahead of Lafourche’s at 19 percent, with both rates being better than state and national averages, according to GNOHA President Andreanecia Morris.

However, renting prices in Terrebonne have stayed higher in spite of economic indicators pointing toward Lafourche. Along with a higher median income, Lafourche’s median household value of more than $152,000 is greater than Terrebonne’s at almost $138,000. Lafourche’s vacancy rate of 7.8 percent is also quite lower than Terrebonne’s rate of almost 9.4 percent. Lafourche, with a population of 98,000, had 1,126 residential building permits in 2015 while Terrebonne, with almost 114,000 residents only had 712 in the same year. Despite these figures, the median rent in Terrebonne was at $750, higher than Lafourche’s $653.


The high rent in Terrebonne was a key obstacle for many working toward cost-friendly living. For Antoine Foret, Section 8 administrator for Terrebonne Parish, the high prices have constrained how many he can help in the parish. Foret said his department received its yearly federal contract, which estimated Terrebonne could help 526 units with Section 8 housing support. However, Foret said he was able to assist only 385 households due to the high costs.

Barry Chauvin, CEO of the local nonprofit Options for Independence, said the current market rates are untenable for disabled adults. With many disabled people relying on Supplemental Security Income for $735 per month, rents of even $400 or $500, well below Terrebonne’s median, are impossible for them. Chauvin said there is still a market for even cheaper housing, in the $200 to $300 per month range, for those people.

Some of those adults with disabilities also end up homeless, a particular topic of interest for Tiffany Barrios, who operates a Region 3 satellite office of the CrescentCare program. Barrios said while there are some services available for the homeless, they do not cover the full gamut of assistance. Some of the programs designed to lead to employment with limited help do not work for disabled adults or for homeless people lacking documentation required for a job application, according to Barrios. She called for greater funding for wraparound services, such as full-time homeless shelters and mental health and substance abuse support.


State Rep. Jerome Zeringue attended the housing meeting and noted the gap in social services on the ground. Zeringue talked about the recent special session he just finished, where legislators had to close a $440 million budget gap. Zeringue said the state’s budget shortfalls in recent years has made it difficult to expand social services, even as he acknowledged the need for more support.

“Now prisons are serving as the providers for mental health, unfortunately, which is a shame. But, there’s no doubt that there is a significant need that we can address. How we address it is another issue,” Zeringue said.

Zeringue also mentioned the state’s eroding coast as another issue affecting affordability, as many in Terrebonne are priced out of homeownership due to rising flood insurance rates. Zeringue said non-structural risk reduction, such as elevating homes, will play a key factor in keeping insurance rates down, particularly down the bayou. Speakers touched on succession issues as well, where family members have had trouble determining ownership of a house after an older relative who owns it dies. Without a deed to the property, renovations cannot be made to the structure.


Barrios said the meeting at the library was good because it brought a wide range of housing-related issues to the table.

“It’s a lot of diversity and it brings all the different representatives to the table to discuss the issues, because it’s not just the homeless population. We do have the population who is not homeless but still face the rent burdens,” Barrios said.

The meeting ended with establishing what the GNOHA plans to advocate for in Baton Rouge, as well as listing what local issues for the alliance to highlight to legislators. Morris said the previous governor’s administration had taken $60 million from the Louisiana Housing Corporation during its own budgetary issues. She said the housing alliance plans on asking for a 5 percent tax on short-term rentals to pay for an emergency housing fund that would provide needs-based aid to any area facing natural disasters. Morris said she sees the tax as a way to restock the state housing program’s cupboard without harming the state’s overall fiscal health.


“We know that the state is in a crunch, but we still need to prioritize housing,” Morris said. ·

A local home sits for sale in a Terrebonne Parish neighborhood. Local stakeholders met this week in an effort to improve the Bayou Region’s housing situation amidst a current economic downturn.

COURTESY


Despite having a lower median income and lower median household value than Lafourche Parish, the median rent in Terrebonne Parish is almost $100 more than in Lafourche.

COURTESY | THE TIMES