Lafayette Finds New Way To Help Homeless

Though we may not notice as we go about our day to day business, there are hundreds of people in Acadiana who spend nights in boxes, under bridges, or public parks.

A longstanding approach to helping homeless people is to first educate them and then help them to get a job. This rehabilitation is intended to lead to housing and hopefully, a bright future.

The Lafayette Catholic Services Center’s Monsignor Sigur Center is taking a new approach to an ages-old problem by first housing homeless individuals and then rehabilitating them.

Kim Boudreaux, Catholic Services Center's executive director, told The Advocate that “the idea is to put them in housing and then provide the services and try to stabilize them once they’re in a safe place. Nationally, the research has shown that people are more motivated to seek sobriety and to seek a better lifestyle once they are housed.”

The Catholic Services Center has enlisted the help of local landlords and apartment complex managers to give hundreds of homeless people in the Acadiana area a place to lay their heads so that they can better approach the tasks of education and finding employment.

Click here to read more about this innovative approach to helping the homeless in Acadiana, and let us know what you think on Facebook!