Calcasieu Parish human services warns of Section 8 funding disruption, staff asks HUD for short-term support
Loading...
Summary
Human Services staff told the Police Jury that community-block and LIHEAP funds remain available but Section 8 voucher payments are disrupted; the department has asked HUD for funding through November and has informed landlords that payments may be delayed.
Erica Garrison, of the Human Services Department, told the Calcasieu Parish Police Jury on Oct. 23 that most program funding is stable but Section 8 voucher payments are experiencing a disruption. “Where we're experiencing disruption is with our Section 8 programming,” Garrison said. “We do have a plan in place. We have reached out to HUD to request funding in order for us to fund through the month of November. We're awaiting feedback from them.”
Garrison said the Community Service Block Grant and LIHEAP funds needed to serve clients are “readily available,” but staff has contacted landlords to explain that payments are anticipated to arrive and “it just may be a delayed payment.” She said the department is operating “business as usual” while staying in contact with state representatives for each program.
The statement came during consideration of multiple Human Services agenda items, including approval of the agency’s annual Public Housing Agency plan for fiscal year 2026 and a five-year PHA plan for 2026–2031, which the jury adopted without recorded opposition. The jury also approved related SNAP education and training agreements; one juror, Mr. Guillory, recorded a recusal on the second SNAP agreement.
The Human Services disclosure did not include an exact estimate of how many voucher holders might be affected or a confirmed date for when HUD will respond. Garrison framed the outreach to HUD as a short-term funding request to bridge anticipated delays through November.
Next steps: the department said it is awaiting HUD’s response and will continue communications with landlords and state representatives; no additional action or emergency funding allocation was reported by the jury at the meeting’s close.
