Speaking at Tuesday’s Downtown Development District Commission meeting, city-parish homeless prevention director Jessica Lewis outlined the latest efforts to limit homelessness in Baton Rouge.
According to statistics from the Louisiana Balance of State Continuum of Care, there are about 435 homeless individuals on the streets in Baton Rouge, down from 526 in 2022.
“Since March, we’ve established a homeless tracking tool to assist with solutions in real-time,” Lewis says.
In addition, Lewis says there are plans to build a new 24-hour non-congregate shelter, while close to $2 million has been spent on shelters and prioritizing police presence in the area. The city is also looking to collaborate with the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development to install fencing under the O’Neal Lane underpass.
Lewis says the Baton Rouge emergency rental assistance program has administered over $55 million in assistance to help 10,000 families since 2021. Mayor Sharon Weston Broome’s office has also invested in nearly 1,400 units of affordable housing.
Gov. Jeff Landry has signed Act 678 into law, which prohibits solicitation on any interstate highway or in a public right of way or any entrance or exit ramp. Any violation of the law, which went into effect Aug. 1, could result in a fine.
Broome announced a significant homelessness prevention initiative in February, with nearly $10 million in investments going toward combating homelessness in the area.
Some of the proposed investments include $1 million in American Rescue Plan funds that have been approved for the construction of the first non-congregate shelter in East Baton Rouge Parish, at St. Vincent de Paul, and more than $2.1 million in Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS funding has been awarded to six partner organizations to provide rental assistance for people living with HIV/AIDS in East Baton Rouge Parish.
