LAFAYETTE PARISH — The homes at the Duson Housing Authority may either be renovated or demolished and rebuilt, following recent findings by a Louisiana housing authority. This update comes almost 10 years after senior care housing units were vacated due to flooding in 2015. Since then, the homes have remained vacant, attracting squatters, criminals, and concerns from neighbors.
Duson Mayor Johnny Thibodeaux said the town has been maintaining the 7-acre property for years, cutting grass and working with the police to prevent squatters and illegal activity. He called the situation a solution that is "long overdue."
"It has been just a blighted piece of property. There's been a lot of break-ins and people living in there," Thibodeaux said.
The homes are now being managed by the Houma-Terrebonne Housing Authority, which is responsible for the regular upkeep of the grass and security of the units, Thibodeaux said.
"There are two options they're looking at: either revamping some of these homes or primarily demolishing the whole thing and building some new ones," Thibodeaux said.
I emailed the director of the housing authority to ask why it took so long for someone to intervene and about future plans for the housing units. However, I did not receive a response before our broadcast.
The phone number for the Duson Housing Authority was not immediately available.
Thibodeaux said poor management was a significant issue. "The real problem here was bad management," he said. "I requested HUD get someone that was not local because I felt like we didn't have anyone locally qualified to handle this situation."
For nearly 10 years, some homeowners in the town of Duson have had to deal with the abandoned Duson Housing Authority homes. Ryan Champagne, a nearby resident, said the vacant homes have been a constant problem for neighbors.
"It was all low-income homes for people who needed help," Champagne said. "But they've sat there so long that we've had damage, people breaking windows, people not needing to be there hanging around. It's not good."
The Duson Housing Authority compound includes 30 homes, which Thibodeaux said could house around 100 people. At the time of the flood, the units were home to several elderly residents.
DHA is still listed on the Cajun Agency on Aging's website, and a phone number is still posted on the office door of the housing units, but they are not accepting new clients.
There was no timeline given on when the remodeling or demolition could take place.
