Ida Shelters program coming to an end April 30, will save Louisiana $2 million a month

Colin Campo, Houma Courier-Thibodaux Daily Comet
·4 min read

The state-run Ida Shelters program officially will end this month, affecting about 800 people statewide who are homeless since Hurricane Ida.

When Hurricane Ida tore through Lafourche and Terrebonne Aug. 29, 2021, officials recognized the Federal Emergency Management Agency would take time to respond. FEMA agreed to fund the Louisiana Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness's emergency housing program: Ida Shelters. The program housed more than 3,500 people in Terrebonne and Lafourche, and rolled its first campers out three weeks after the storm.

That program ends April 30.

"As we met with the Division of Administration, they presented a question to me," Director of the Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness Jacques Thibodeaux said. "The state is approaching a fiscal cliff in 2025 with the potential of a $500 million shortfall. This is about $2 million a month that is costs, and the state cannot sustain the cost of this, For the past 60 days, we have been meeting with the parishes, and we have several solutions that we are pursuing.

"It's that hardest thing I've ever had to do. I've been in the emergency management for 40 years. Knowing that it's now on me to fix this situation. So we are trying to find solutions."

Ida Shelter resident Nathaniel Fournier cuts wood outside of his state-provided camper as hurricane season begins, June 1.
Ida Shelter resident Nathaniel Fournier cuts wood outside of his state-provided camper as hurricane season begins, June 1.

The Ida Shelters program provided campers to those left homeless after Hurricane Ida and was reimbursed by FEMA for 18 months. It has been funded entirely by the state since January 2023. The program has cost the state roughly $2 million a month to keep in operation.

The Ida Shelters program is separate from the FEMA trailer program, which also must be renewed in August, or it will end too.

Last year, the Ida Shelters program announced a soft ending date, May 31, 2023. The program cut back on what it purchased for residents, and stepped up the case manager visits. Case managers would confirm residents were taking measures to find more permanent housing and offer options to aid them.

Thibodeaux has proposed three options to the parishes that still have campers: selling the campers, footing the bill by the parishes and providng housing vouchers.

The state has reached out to the Attorney General's Office to determine whether the state can sell the campers at a reduced price to residents. Thibodeaux said he did not know what that price would be. By law, the state cannot donate the property and cannot sell it below market value, because that also would be considered a donation.

The second option would be for the parishes to foot the bill for the program. Thibodeaux said the parishes could potentially recoup the costs by applying for Housing and Urban Development disaster funds. According to Thibodeaux, there is roughly $1.2 billion available to apply for.

According to Lafourche Parish President Archie Chaisson, Lafourche cannot foot the bill. It is simply too expensive, and the returns from grants would arrive too late to afford it. He said the plan is to collect data from the state on the different residents and try to help those who have been trying to move out of the campers.

"We don't have the capacity to take on that," Chaisson said. "What I've said to them is that if you have people in these units who have not dealt with the case managers, have not made any progress, then do what you have to do to get them out, and take the campers back.

"If we still have people who are dealing with insurance issues, and are caught up in Restore Louisiana or homeowner rebuilding programs, then we need to figure out what to do with those people. If you sell it to them at a reduced rate, then yes, they can keep them on their property and continue to live in them as long as their case management continues to follow through, as long as it is not a long-term living situation."

Caseworkers have been offering residents rapid housing vouchers offered by the Louisiana Office of Community Development. These would aid the residents in transitioning from the campers to more permanent housing options. According to Thibodeaux, few have taken this option. Fifty-seven are currently in the process of transitioning, he said.

Officials from Terrebonne Parish did not respond in time for comment.

This article originally appeared on The Courier: Louisiana's Ida Shelters program set to end April 30