Homeless-services director urges Avoyelles Parish officials to step up outreach as need grows

At the Avoyelles Parish Police Jury meeting on March 5, Kitty W., director of the Central Louisiana Homeless Coalition in Alexandria, told jurors the region’s homeless population is growing and urged local officials to help identify encampments for outreach. “We have over 4,000 people in our region that are in danger of becoming homeless,” Kitty W. said during the public-comment period.

Kitty W. described the coalition’s services and limits: the program is a day center providing showers, laundry, mailing addresses and referrals; it holds three HUD grants, operates a housing program with 13 slots (eight currently filled), and works with partners including Hope House of Central Louisiana and Volunteers of America. She said the coalition cannot directly provide rental assistance or utility payments and relies on HUD and community donations for most funding.

The nut of her request was practical: connect field reports to the coalition so outreach teams can locate people living in tents, campers or other places not meant for habitation and offer referrals. Kitty W. said the coalition serves people across an eight-parish region and will deploy outreach periodically to Avoyelles Parish when notified.

Jurors acknowledged receipt of the materials Kitty W. left with the clerk and thanked her for the information. The meeting record shows no motion or formal vote tied to requests Kitty W. raised; staff indicated the coalition’s materials will be shared with appropriate departments and partner agencies for follow-up.

What happens next: Kitty W. said outreach teams will visit identified sites when the coalition is notified, and she left informational packets with county staff to facilitate referrals. The coalition’s comments were recorded during the public-comment portion of the meeting; no policy change or funding allocation was made at that session.