Twenty years ago, a group of dedicated Iberia Parish residents saw that homelessness was real in the area, and wanted to do something about it. 

That vision led to the creation of the Iberia Homeless Shelter, which celebrated its 20 year anniversary at its home base on Robertson Street Friday morning. 

Coffee and donuts were provided to the people who came in and out Friday morning to celebrate the landmark for the shelter. 

Chairman of the board for the shelter James Russell Sr., who was appointed to the position following the death of Pierre Schwing in 2020, said that Schwing provided the vision and dedication 20 years ago to make the shelter a reality. 

Russell remembered watching a homeless man park his bike outside a local restaurant and search the garbage can for a cup. 

“We decided this guy was homeless, so we provided breakfast for him,” Russell said. “That’s basically what Mr. Schwing did. He donated his time, effort and money to give people hope.”

The shelter has a full list of staff, board members and volunteers who donate their time to tackling the homeless problem in New Iberia. 

Board member Linda Viator, a former secretary of the shelter who’s been with the organization since its inception, said the idea of the shelter was to find a way to get people the help they needed. 

“I was here from day one when we started getting people together and asking if they wanted to help,” Viator said. “It’s been a long time, it’s wonderful to help people that need help. People used to say that there weren’t any homeless people here, we’ve come a long way.”

One of the people who was helped by the shelter was Harold LaPorte, who now works with the shelter. 

LaPorte, who’s been with the shelter for a decade, said he was behind the dumpster of Radioshack when he first learned about the shelter. After years of getting clean from drugs and local volunteering, LaPorte now tries to help people who are in the situation he was previously in. 

“I’ve been clean and sober for ten years, I don’t miss it at all,” he said. “I enjoy (the work here), I try to let them know that there’s more to life than smoking dope.”

The building used by the shelter has been the same one for 20 years, and although the services of the shelter have expanded greatly to accommodate state and federal regulations the core mission of helping people who need it the most hasn’t changed. 

“We provide as much as we possibly can,” Russell said. “Helping somebody find a home, that’s what it’s all about.”