The Iberia Homeless Shelter conducted a point-in-time survey of the New Iberia homeless population Jan. 23, 2024.

The PIT is an annual survey that provides the US Department of Housing and Urban Development a count of the sheltered and unsheltered homeless population for parishes and counties across the US.

The primary goal of the PIT survey is to justify funding for local homeless shelters and programs. According to Judy Sam, a longtime volunteer and worker with the Iberia Homeless Shelter, many people around the city don’t recognize the homeless problem because they don’t interact with it everyday.

“People think out of sight, out of mind, but just because it’s out of your sight, doesn’t mean it’s not there. Being in this field has humbled me graciously because I’m one of those people who didn’t realize the magnitude of how homelessness affects people’s lives,” Sam said.

Many of these people struggle with mental health and substance abuse. Judy said this often stems from a relatively innocuous situation like the loss of a loved one or a rent spike that creates a perpetual downward spiral. According to Iberia Shelter Director Stephen Etienne, the PIT survey and other data collection techniques don’t differentiate between mental health and addiction, which can sometimes limit the effectiveness of treatment and an adequate response to the problems causing homelessness.

Unlike cities like New Orleans, where homeless people live on the street for all to see, New Iberia’s wooded areas provide homeless people and families a way to sequester themselves from the eyes of the public.

Unfortunately, the city inadvertently made the collection of these numbers significantly more difficult by clearing several homeless encampments around the city, scattering the people living there. As a result, Etienne couldn’t find a soul in places that would sometimes house dozens of people.

Subsequently, Etienne visited locations like St. Francis Diner to gather names and encouraged the public to call in with tips. If a member of the public encounters some experiencing homelessness, call the Iberia Homeless Shelter at 337-369-9900.