‘Canadaville’ homes could aid veterans

After Hurricane Katrina displaced much of the New Orleans area in 2005, many of the refugees found an opportunity for a new start in a community called “Canadaville.”

Now many of those homes could provide housing for another group of “refugees” -- homeless veterans.

For the past year, the Avoyelles Port Commission has been saying it needs to get out of the “landlord/tenant” business by selling and moving many of the pre-fabricated houses from the former “Canadaville.”

At its Oct. 21 meeting, the commission was told of a plan to help it realize that goal while also helping veterans struggling with homelessness and joblessness.

Sean Bordelon, a disabled veteran spearheading an effort to create affordable housing for veterans, is considering bidding on 28 of the 49 mobile homes.

Some of the units are currently occupied by long-time tenants from the Canadaville days. Others are leased by port tenants and the Town of Simmesport for their use.

“This is important,” Bordelon said. “There are veterans out there who, whether they admit it or not, need help.”

The housing project would target those veterans “who came back to nothing” and are experiencing hardships.

“It would be a transitional program for those who are willing to go back to work but have nothing waiting for them,” Bordelon said.

He said his Louisiana Veterans Making A Difference organization is working with Racin’ 4 Vets and The Fallen Outdoors veterans organizations.

Other organizations have also expressed an interest in helping get the project underway.

Since the commission deems a residential community to be incompatible with future industrial development at the port, the units must be moved.

HANDLEY PROPERTY

Bordelon has a potential partner willing to address that problem -- Simmesport businessman Jason Handley.

Handley owns several rental properties in the parish, including a former trailer park a mile from the port. He also owns Handley’s Building Materials in Simmesport.

“We have a lot of disabled veterans who are homeless and going through tough times,” Handley said. “I may set up a gated community at this site to set them up with a place to live and possibly a job.”

Handley closed the trailer park last year and had plans to tear down the old trailers “and start from scratch.”

If Bordelon is successful in his bid to purchase the pre-fabricated homes, the trailer park “would be exclusively for this project,” Handley said. The property is large enough to accommodate 20-24 trailers, maybe more.

“A few of the 28 trailers may not be worth repairing,” Handley said. “If that’s the case, we may end up giving those away.”

The mobile homes have three bedrooms and two bathrooms -- large enough for the veterans and their families.

Bordelon said he would probably use 15 units in Simmesport and send some to one or more of the other partnering agencies for use in their programs. He will be inspecting the units in the near future to determine an appropriate bid for the buildings.

LAICHE COMMENTS
Port Commission President Barry Laiche said commissioners agree a “good and worthy use of this surplus property would be to help our veterans.”

However, there are state laws that prohibit a public agency from outright donating public property and procedures that must be followed when selling property and equipment.

He said the veterans assistance project “is not an official proposal at this time. It is a topic of discussion.”

The item will be on the commission’s Nov. 18 agenda for further discussion and to receive any update from Bordelon on efforts to secure funding for the project.

Although even he calls the structures “trailers or mobile homes, they are actually modular housing units. Moving them will be quite expensive. In many cases, it will take more to move them than the value of the structure.”

Laiche said the Port Commission has not decided how best to divest itself of the surplus housing units.

“We looked at an online auction to sell units individually or as a lot, but no decision has been made. We are looking at what would be the most economic benefit to the port.”

JOB OPPORTUNITIES

In addition to providing a home for the veterans, Bordelon also hopes employment opportunities can be created.

He said Scott Bernard General Contractors of Baton Rouge has offered to provide jobs and financial assistance for the program. Rougarou Hog Control has also said it would hire veterans for its operations.

For veterans interested in agricultural work, Bordelon said several area farmers are planning to plant hemp -- a labor-intensive crop -- and have said they would hire veterans in the program.

Another possible job source that has not been part of this discussion is the Dallas-based Sophia Design Group’s planned job training program at the Simmesport Community Center complex.

The company’s “Philemon Project” specifically seeks to employ veterans and ex-convicts to train them in job skills that will enable them to successfully re-enter society.

Mayor Leslie Draper III said Sophia Design owner Mike Wilson hopes to start work soon on preparing an area of the former school for the program.

Participants will be hired to produce woodwork, granite counters and other products for Sophia Design customers while being enrolled in the training program.

“I think Mr. Bordelon’s heart is in the right place and I applaud him for taking on this challenge,” Draper said. “Homelessness is a real problem in this area.”

Draper said the town had looked at possibly purchasing and moving a few of the housing units to the Community Center complex, so he knows that “moving these structures will not be as user-friendly as some may think it would be.”

MORE PARTNERS NEEDED

Besides those who have already committed to assist in the project, Bordelon hopes more community partners step up to ensure the effort is successful.

That participation could be in providing volunteer labor in moving, renovating and setting up the trailers, providing employment for the veterans in the program or making a financial donation to keep the housing costs for the veterans as close to zero as possible.

“Any little bit helps,” he added.

For more information or to join the effort, contact Bordelon at 318-264-5052 or on the ‘Louisiana Veterans Making A Difference’ Facebook page.