Task force weighs registration, definition changes to curb abuse in unlicensed group homes

The S.R. 169 Task Force on Tuesday took testimony and discussed draft recommendations aimed at protecting vulnerable adults living in unlicensed residential group homes, including a proposal to require local registration, floor plans and occupancy limits for dwellings that operate as group homes.

The task force chair, who identified herself as the state adult protective services director, said the panel was formed “to provide legislative recommendations to help protect vulnerable adults, who live in our communities and residential homes, from abuse, neglect, and exploitation.” She framed the discussion as focused on the gap between licensed facilities regulated by the Department of Health and informal, unlicensed shared residences in neighborhoods.

The nut graf: Task force members, APS investigators and legal counsel described a pattern of financial exploitation, overcrowding and substandard living conditions in some unlicensed homes, and debated how to craft definitions and regulatory language that target abusive operators without unintentionally sweeping in ordinary shared rentals or lawful roommate arrangements.

Shannon Ayanu, assistant director for Adult Protective Services (APS), described the cases APS investigates and the program’s response. “The house might be deplorable. The roof falling in. No electricity, no power, no food, no supervision,” Ayanu said, summarizing conditions the agency finds. She said APS often encounters homes with more residents than a dwelling can safely house — “it could be as many as 8 to 20 in a 2 or 3 bedroom home” — and that investigators have referred cases to the state attorney general and law enforcement when they suspect trafficking or financial exploitation.

Cullen Brewer of the Louisiana Department of Health’s Health Standards office explained licensing practice for facilities that require review. “Plans are submitted to the State Farm Marshals Office for Architectural Plan review. So that is a requirement under our licensing for all our healthcare facilities,” Brewer said, distinguishing licensed adult residential care settings from the informal residences under discussion.

Task force members raised legal and practical limits. A representative of the Attorney General’s office said prosecution and existing statutes can address clear criminal violations but are often constrained when residents “consent” to living in the conditions described or when capacity and guardianship status are unclear. The attorney general’s representative noted federal grant limits on investigative authority and said offices coordinate with local law enforcement and the fire marshal when possible.

Legal and civil-rights concerns surfaced repeatedly. Monique Blossom of the Louisiana Fair Housing Action Center advised caution about singling out group homes for mandatory requirements that would apply only to residences occupied by people with disabilities. “If that only applies to them, it would be in violation of the Fair Housing Act as discriminatory against people with disabilities,” she said, urging that any requirement either be voluntary or apply equivalently to comparable dwelling units.

Jonathan Wagner, staff attorney for a Senate committee monitoring the task force, asked whether the proposed local registration would create widely varying municipal obligations and fiscal burdens. “Has there been any thought given to a more centralized set of requirements that would define who's required to register?” Wagner asked, noting local variations could lead some parishes or cities to adopt broad rental-registration approaches to cover costs.

Participants identified two core drafting challenges: (1) how to define “unlicensed group home” narrowly enough to capture exploitative operations without restricting ordinary roommate households or accessible housing; and (2) how to assign regulatory responsibility and fiscal burden — local registration and enforcement could require staffing and create uneven implementation across parishes, while a centralized registry could raise other design questions.

Task force members proposed next-step process changes rather than immediate new laws. Several members recommended creating a smaller technical work group or subcommittees of attorneys, LDH staff, APS investigators, disability-rights advocates, local-government representatives and housing advocates to draft precise statutory language and to assess fiscal impact and implementation mechanics. The chair said the task force will prepare revised recommendation language for review and seek additional meeting time to continue work.

Ending: No formal votes were recorded during the meeting. The panel did not finalize statutory text; members asked staff to incorporate meeting feedback and circulate revised recommendations for review and to consult LDH legal counsel and the attorney general’s office on drafting and fiscal implications.