Latest news with #BunkHouse
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Houma area homeless share stories as community looks for solutions
Gathered outside a low-rent housing shelter on the east side of Houma, 15 to 20 people get a free hot meal at 5 p.m. 'I'm homeless because my wife died next to me, and I lost my dad's house,' Daniel Howe, 33, said. Howe was getting his meal at the Bunk House, 8424 E Main St., and said he's been homeless for five years. He recently moved under a bridge in Houma and said he spends most of the day walking around because there's nothing to do other than walk and sleep. He was couch-surfing, but all the friends he was staying with moved away from Houma. According to Howe, there's nothing to help him because government programs require him to prove his identity, and he's having trouble with that. 'I've been trying to get it for the last year and a half but can't get it because they keep trying to tell me to prove I'm me,' he said. 'I've sent them my birth certificate… and it didn't work.' Two meetings this year, one a community meeting and another a gathering of businesses, addressed Houma's homelessness. According to Homeless Services Coordinator Cassandra Adams of Start Corp., as of May 20, there were 48 homeless people in Houma. Many of them are in transitional housing, the Bunk House or other programs. Thirteen are living on the streets. She said many other homeless people left after Hurricane Ida, helped by government housing programs. 'The majority of those people are older," she said. "We see a lot of elderly people that don't want to enter a nursing home or a group home. But they need the assistance.' According to Adams, they cannot help someone who doesn't want to take part in their program. This could be due to any number of reasons, but the hardest to overcome is drug abuse. 'I would say it's probably 50/50, most of them have mental health situations,' she said. Asked about the other 50%, she said, 'The other 50, I feel like it is probably co-occurring mental health and drug abuse.' More: Houma's Freedom, Blackberry festivals More: President Trump expresses strong opinions about House Speaker Mike Johnson of Shreveport Each day her four outreach workers have case files on many of the homeless people, both those on the streets and in shelters. They meet with each person at least once a week, but some require extra visits. Workers often will give them rides to places like the Homeless Day Center, 420 Magnolia St., where the people can do their laundry, charge phones and watch some television. Frank Sims, 62, said that's about all he does in a day, either watch television over there, walk the streets, or sleep. Sims is a resident of the Bunk House who identified himself as homeless. He pays $100 a week to stay there, which he pays with his Social Security. Sims was living with his brother in Houma when Hurricane Ida hit, and it took everything. Since then, he's been living at the Bunk House. 'I'm too old," he said. "I tried to go back to work when I was 55, and the woman said, 'No, we don't want nobody like you.'' According to Sims, a 20-year-old got the job instead of him. When the 20-year-old quit he said he felt vindicated. 'He quit them that same week, and that was a good feeling, you know,' Sims said. Before he retired, Sims was a shipfitter with Quality Shipyards. He now has a fixed income, and because of inflation, he can't find a place that's within his budget, nor can he repair his car to expand his search. He said Start Corporation currently cannot help him either, because he can't switch from Medicare to Medicaid. He's in the process of switching it over, but it's a lot of phone calls. So for now, he's stuck. 'Money rules the world," he said. "If you ain't got it, you f-----. So you gotta take a little bit at a time, and that's what I'm doing.' Many of the others who were getting a meal at the Bunk House had similar stories, but didn't want to give their names. Two said they weren't homeless at all but were, like Sims, retired and on a fixed income. The one hot meal a day helped with their bills. They were in their 80s, walked to the Bunk House together, got their meals, then sat in the shade under a tree socializing — one with a Colt 45 beer. Their tree was cut down May 23. Another man was in a recovery house. He chose to come to Houma to try to find a new start and is working on getting a Transportation Worker Identification Credential card, which is required to try to work offshore. He said the new location took him away from the influences he had back at home, and he's been in Houma for nearly a year. He didn't want to be named because he said it would hinder his fresh start. Parish President Jason Bergeron said he attended the meetings of the concerned community members and the businesses. According to Bergeron, he is gathering mental health officials, volunteers, nonprofits, law enforcement, nuisance abatement and others, like Terrebonne Parish Coroner Dr. Patrick Walker, to look at what programs are available and try to address the gaps in those programs. 'When I look at what government's role in this is, it's to put people in a room,' Bergeron said. 'Because I feel like if we feel it's important, everyone else will feel like it's important.' Bergeron said he thought whatever solutions were found for substance abuse and mental health problems also would help homeless people. And if the solution found took government action Bergeron said he would draft them and bring them before the Parish Council. According to Bergeron, the unofficial group has met twice and includes representatives from Terrebonne General, Start Corp., Walker, the Brother's Keepers, the Oxford House and more. The members weren't the same in both meetings, but he intends to gather all of them together in the next month. This article originally appeared on The Courier: Houma officials, community leaders seek to address homelessness
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Metallica fans face paying £324 to share a dormitory bunk bed in Cardiff after gig announced
Huge fees are being charged for accommodation at hotels, hostels and apartments in Cardiff after Metallica announced they would play at the Principality Stadium next year. The legendary rock band will bring their M72 World Tour to the home of Welsh rugby on Sunday, June 28, 2026. Following the big announcement, some venues located close to the stadium have already set eye-watering rates, should you wish to stay there. We searched for available locations within 300 yards of the stadium, based on the cost of two adults. On the Radisson Blu Hotel in Cardiff is currently charging a £600 rate for a standard room, whilst a three-bedroom apartment at Taff Penfro Cardiff Apartment will set you back £1,140. From superstar gigs to cosy pubs, find out What's On in Wales by signing up to our newsletter here. Hafan y Ddinas Cardiff Apartment is charging £1,400 for a night in a three-bedroom apartment. To reserve a bunk bed in a large mixed dormitory room at BunkHouse, located 200 yards away, it will cost you £324, or £162 per person. If you choose to stay three miles from the venue, rates get cheaper, including the Glendale Hotel in Penarth, which is charging £125 a night for a double room. It will cost £200 to book a one-bedroom apartment at Greenfield Studio. There is still some hope of a more affordable rate for those attending the gig, however. Rooms at leading UK hoteliers, Marriott, Holiday Inn, Premier Inn and Travelodge, are so far not available to book for the date of the gig. Hilton said rooms were sold out in Cardiff on the night. Metallica's world tour itinerary will continue with their revered No Repeat Weekend tradition, in which each night of the two-show stands will feature entirely different setlists and support line-ups. The band will begin their world tour in Athens in Greece, before heading to Bucharest in Romania and travelling to Chorzów in Poland, Frankfurt in Germany and other European cities. Here in the UK, the band will be heading to Glasgow, Cardiff and London. The band performed in the Welsh capital's former Cardiff International Arena in October, 1996. As per usual, a share of the proceeds from each ticket sold will be donated to local charities through the band's All Within My Hands foundation. Presale tickets will go on sale for the event on Thursday, May 29, while general onsale tickets will go on sale the following day at 10am on Friday, May 30. Tickets will be available through Live Nation, which you can find out more about here, and Ticketmaster, which you can check out here. But fan club members will get a head start with pre-sale starting from 11am on Tuesday, May 27, which you can find out more about here. Get Cardiff news updates on your phone by joining our WhatsApp community here. We occasionally treat members to special offers, promotions, and ads from us and our partners. See our Privacy Notice.
