IBERIA PARISH — The City of New Iberia is entering the final phase of a home-improvement project funded by the American Rescue Plan Act. The program focuses on helping low-income families, primarily the elderly, make much-needed repairs to their homes.
“So right now that’s what we’ve got going on,” said New Iberia District Six City Councilman Dan Doerle. “We got roofs, shutters, ramps to the house. Most of them are, health-wise, might not be the best, but it’s to help them better their lives.”
The application process started more than a year ago. It was open only to low-income families and vetted by an outside party. An architect then assessed each property to see what improvements were needed.
“Well, it’s, you know, it’s a great project, but we only touching like 40 homes,” Doerle said. “That’s all we can afford to do out of hundreds. That’s the only sad part is that not everybody gets it, and it’s a one-time thing, but it’s something that’s needed.”
Doerle said he’s happy with the project and hopes the city can keep the momentum going.
“I don’t know if other cities got the funds, or they didn’t act on it because it’s a lot of paperwork,” he said. “Some people just get burned out and say, well, we’re not gonna do it. It’s a lot on our end also, but it’s a service that the mayor says anytime I get free money — it’s not free money, we call it free money — I don’t care what kind of paperwork, I’m gonna go and do it, and we do, we’ve been doing it.”
“I’ve been in politics probably 22 years,” Doerle added. “In the last four years, it seemed like we got more grants and more money to help the community in ways that we didn’t do before.”
The final phase will include exterior painting, installing shutters, and adding handicap ramps to help seniors live more safely and comfortably in their homes.
