Housing authority making upgrades to Plaquemine affordable housing program

BATON ROUGE, LA (WAFB) - Officials with the East Baton Rouge Parish housing authority say they’re making upgrades to Housing Choice Voucher in Plaquemine a month after the organization assumed control of the affordable housing program.

The housing authority started managing the Plaquemine program in February and found “numerous deficiencies”, according to a release from the department.

“The City of Plaquemine wanted to relinquish management of its Housing Choice Voucher Program and EBRPHA was willing to step in and take charge,” EBRPHA CEO J. Wesley Daniels, Jr. said. “The majority of rental properties and have safety issues ranging from moderate to severe and our team is working diligently with landlords to upgrade these homes.

Daniels said the affordable housing agency is implementing new policies to bring the program up to standards for residents in Plaquemine. He added that a team has inspected the properties and met with the current owners to set expectations.

Daniels said the organization will handle the program similar to how it handled the housing crisis at the Elm Grove Apartment Complex in Baton Rouge. WAFB has been investigating this particular apartment complex since 2014. Investigations uncovered deplorable living conditions, such as roach infestations, busted pipes, unsafe railings, and no air conditioning.

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The Plaquemine Housing Choice program consists of 78 vouchers assigned to qualified residents. These residents choose from a combination of single and multi-family rental properties.