ST. LANDRY PARISH, La. (KLFY) — A revised parish-wide ordinance for regulating group homes is now in place for the unincorporated areas in St. Landry Parish.
Parish President Jessie Bellard said this comes after hearing multiple complaints from residents about the non-regulated group homes and treatment centers that have popped up.
The ordinance now monitors the complete operation of the home and provides tighter restrictions in regulating what services and or care the home provides.
Bellard said that the homes will have to either comply or get shut down.
“You have to come get an application, submit it, and get council approval,” Bellard explained.
Before this ordinance, group homes only needed an occupational license to operate.
“We changed that,” Bellard explained. “They were popping up everywhere in our parish. There were no requirements, no licenses, or no regulations.”
He said the ordinance is not effective inside the corporate limits of the municipalities and says if a group home is located inside a city or town, it will be up to the local government to enforce regulations.
Bellard outlined some of the regulations:
“If you have more than 20 people, you have to have security. You have to have proper signage. If you have people on the property, you must have a supervisor. You must be able to provide a way to healthcare, and the home must be clean.”
