LAFAYETTE, La. — A Lafayette church says it is being unfairly cited for litter left behind by people experiencing homelessness in its neighborhood, calling the situation costly and stressful as city ordinance violations continue to mount.
According to public records obtained by KATC, city officials say At the Cross Christian Center on St. John Street violated the city’s litter ordinance 16 times between February 2022 and February 2025.
The Lafayette Consolidated Government has sent multiple letters warning the church that if trash is not cleaned up, the property owner could be charged for the cleanup.
Church leaders dispute the citations, saying much of the debris is left by people who congregate in the area to access nearby social services.
“It’s been a double-edged sword,” said Senior Pastor Stanley Sinegal. “We’ve been here a while, and we are challenged with the situation with the homeless population, which has increased significantly over the past 10 years.”
The church says it is frequently cited for clothing and other items left on its property and along the sidewalk in front of the building. Leaders argue the sidewalk is owned by the city, not the church.
“We are constantly presented with citations for the litter, the clothing articles that are being left on the property, and also the sidewalk, which we are told we are responsible for,” he said.
City officials cite Ordinance 74-81(A), which states that property owners and occupants are responsible for keeping sidewalks in front of their buildings clean. If violations are not addressed, the city can invoice the property owner for maintenance, add administrative fees, and potentially place a lien on the property, costs that could total hundreds of dollars.
Councilman Kenneth Boudreaux said he understands the church’s frustration and believes the issue requires cooperation from both the city and the community.
“The cleanup of your property and the immediate adjacent area of your property is the landowner’s responsibility,” Boudreaux said, while acknowledging the unique challenges posed by the area.
Church leaders say the neighborhood sees unusually high foot traffic because of nearby services such as Catholic Charities and SMILE Community Action Agency.
“Obviously in that area, we do have a very unique situation, where we have a vulnerable population of people utilizing services,” Boudreaux told KATC. “That creates an assembly like no other place in town.”
The repeated enforcement has left the church feeling overwhelmed, leaders said, especially when they are told they cannot control activity on the public sidewalk.
“They are not saying, ‘OK, we can fix this,’” said Shameka Latigue. “They are shifting the responsibility whenever the debris is along the sidewalk, which we all know is a public sidewalk. We call the police to help us control the area, but because it’s a public sidewalk, they say we can’t do anything about it.”
The church says it is not angry with those experiencing homelessness, but frustrated with the ongoing situation and the financial burden of the violations.
“They are human beings,” Sinegal said. “I’m not mad at them. I’m just frustrated this is ongoing, and every time the situation gets worse, we are contacted with citations.”
Church members say increased sanitation services in the area could help address the problem.
“One thing that I do want the city to do is increase sanitation in this area,” Latigue said. “Unfortunately, they have nowhere to put their trash. There is funding for us to clean up this area, and it needs to be done by LCG.”
The church says it wants to work with city officials to find a long-term solution to the litter problem affecting the neighborhood and hopes it will no longer be held financially responsible for debris it says is beyond its control.
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