Low-income residents living at the WoodSprings Suites near the Lafayette airport have been told they need to leave the extended stay hotel to make space for UL students, who will be living at the property after it has been converted into an off-campus dorm.
Their options for relocation are scarce.
Other extended stay hotels in the city that offer weekly and monthly rentals at a similar price, such as the Sonesta Simple Suites and the Studio 6, have limited availability according to on-site staff.
A Craigslist search for apartments or rooms for rent without a deposit, a financial hurdle keeping many low-income renters stuck in hotels, yields few legitimate results.
Several posts made over the past 24 hours still advertise rooms for rent at WoodSprings, although the hotel has told residents that it will not be able to extend their leases further as the property will be undergoing major renovations. Hotel staff said they could not comment on who is creating the posts.
More on housing in Lafayette
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M-P Monique Boulet is now seeking funds for a single position for two months, following the Parish Council’s rejection of a larger scale plan.
Lafayette has virtually no other affordable housing available should residents be forced to leave.
Some apartment complexes, such as The Plantation on Liberty Avenue near Our Lady of Lourdes Regional Medical Center, don’t require a full month’s rent for deposit, but prospective renters are charged application and administrative fees in addition to a reduced deposit, and there are stricter occupancy limits than those at many extended stay hotels, a barrier for low-income families.
There are some of furnished rooms and apartments available, some requiring a less stringent application process, but many are at a price point higher than these families could afford.
The largest local shelter, operated by Catholic Charities, is at capacity. Spokesman Ben Broussard said these challenges are another example of the bottleneck at the end of the process for finding permanent housing that his organization faces with its existing clients.
“There are far too few housing options for people who are looking for low-cost, affordable housing,” Broussard said. Broussard said he was not aware of any local programs providing assistance to low-income families struggling to come up with the funds for a deposit on a rental unit.