For years, Himbola Manor Apartments on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive in Lafayette has been a story about repairs that didn't get made. Now it's a story about where its residents will go next, and what could happen to the buildings after they leave.
The federal housing contract with the property's private owner has ended. The Lafayette Housing Authority says 77 families could qualify for tenant protection vouchers to help them move, Acadiana News First reported on Oct. 8.
Stay put, keep paying rent
Latweeta Smyers, executive director of the Lafayette Housing Authority, told residents not to leave yet.
"Please stay in place; make sure you continue to pay your rent," she said. "The relocation consultant, you'll be notified by them, and once they get notified by them, then we'll come over and do our eligibility process in order for them to be eligible for the tenant protection voucher."
To qualify, residents must have been on the property's rent roll when the HUD contract with the private owner ended, and they must be found eligible for the Housing Choice Voucher Program.
The process can't start quite yet. The housing authority is still waiting on authorization and direction from HUD. Officials say leaving before the process is finished could affect a family's eligibility.
Once it's authorized, relocation consultants will meet with families about their options, and the housing authority will hold on-site meetings to check eligibility. "Once that happens, then the relocation team will help them find units and assist them in any way that they can. Then, they will be issued a tenant protection voucher so they can be able to go find a unit," Smyers said.
How it got here
The problems go back to 2024. As KPEL reported in September, Lafayette Consolidated Government's Community Development and Planning Department flagged more than 130 code violations at the complex in the summer of 2024, including mold, leaking roofs, pest problems and units without working smoke detectors. That August, HUD told the nonprofit owner it was in default of its Section 8 contract.
An administrative law judge fined the owner, American Agape Foundation, a San Antonio-based nonprofit, more than $32,000 that fall and set a Jan. 31, 2025, deadline for repairs. By May 2025, 39 violations still weren't fixed, and the nonprofit had racked up nearly $42,000 more in fines, according to KPEL.
In September, city leaders told the Lafayette City Council that conditions had gotten worse. "What we found in the most recent inspection that was performed is that the conditions have not improved," said LCG Chief Administrative Officer Rachel Godeaux. "They have actually worsened from the original inspection that was performed in 2024."
"The conditions are not livable," Mayor-President Monique Boulet said.
KPEL reported that past city and federal records called the complex a 136-unit property, while officials now put it at 147 units, with roughly 80 occupied.
Lafayette Consolidated Government could condemn Himbola Manor and tear it down after years of reported neglect and poor living conditions, according to Acadiana News First. City officials have said residents come first.
"There are buildings that are probably going to be condemned and will probably move to demolish at an appropriate timeframe," Godeaux told the council, according to KPEL. "Again, our goal is to ensure that all tenants have options with their vouchers and relocation assistance before we ever step in to do any kind of condemnation or demolition on the property."
Officials told the council in September that they expected the relocation to take three to six months.
Why it matters for Contractors
This isn't a construction start, but it's worth watching. If Lafayette condemns and tears down Himbola Manor once residents are relocated, it would mean demolition work on a complex officials put at 147 units, followed by debris removal and site clearing. No timeline, budget or contractor has been announced, and the city says demolition won't come until tenants have options. The bigger story for builders is demand. Dozens of families with tenant protection vouchers will be looking for decent rentals in Lafayette at the same time, which is a reminder of how much the area needs well-built, well-maintained affordable housing. Developers and builders who work on voucher-friendly rental housing should keep an eye on what comes next for the site, and on the families who need a place to land.