Housing is hard to find in Lafayette.
Hi, this is Elliot Wade, your community reporter here at Current.
Dozens are looking for new accommodation after UL booked hotels as student housing for this fall.
The episode highlights how scarce the supply of housing is. Lafayette has one of the tightest rental markets in the country.
Because it’s so difficult to find affordable housing, families have turned to long-term hotels. UL also relies on apartments to meet the growing demand for housing on campus. With so many apartments booked, it leased these long-term hotels, displacing residents.
It is not clear where these residents can go.
It’s really hard to find housing that doesn’t require a one-month rent deposit, which is a huge financial hurdle. And the waiting list for housing assistance in Lafayette is years long.
And UL officials say the university will continue to rely on hotels and apartments to fill its housing portfolio. That will put more pressure on the availability of housing near campus, where apartments are already booked.
The housing problem is not unique to Lafayette, but critics complain that nothing is being done there. Lake Charles, Baton Rouge and New Orleans have all taken steps to fund local housing projects.
And housing costs are one reason why many young people in Lafayette want to settle elsewhere.
Have you had trouble finding housing in Lafayette? Or have you had significant problems with the housing you are in? Click the link in our bio and tell us about it in our housing survey.
Until next time, I’m Elliot Wade and this is Lafayette.
