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Weather Alert

Weather Alert

...COLD WEATHER ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 2 AM TO 8 AM CST
WEDNESDAY...

* WHAT...Very cold wind chills as low as 22 expected.

* WHERE...Portions of south central and southwest Louisiana and
southeast Texas.

* WHEN...From 2 AM to 8 AM CST Wednesday.

* IMPACTS...Frostbite and hypothermia will occur if unprotected skin
is exposed to these temperatures.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Use caution while traveling outside. Wear appropriate clothing, a
hat, and gloves.

Keep pets indoors as much as possible.

Make frequent checks on older family, friends, and neighbors. Ensure
portable heaters are used correctly. Do not use generators or grills
inside.

&&

Only On News 15

Gov. Landry stirs controversy over veto jeopardizing homeless shelter funding in Acadiana, sparking response from bishop

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After his veto resulted in “catastrophic cuts” to funding for homeless shelters in Acadiana, Gov. Jeff Landry is lashing out at the Catholic Church. The bishop of the Diocese of Lafayette spoke out about the loss of money for Catholic Charities of Acadiana and suggested the governor's veto s…

LAFAYETTE, La. (KADN) — After his veto resulted in “catastrophic cuts” to funding for homeless shelters in Acadiana, Gov. Jeff Landry is lashing out at the Catholic Church. The bishop of the Diocese of Lafayette spoke out about the loss of money for Catholic Charities of Acadiana.

Gov. Landry is unhappy with the church's stance on immigration and cites that as the reason he vetoed $1 million for Catholic Charities of Acadiana to help homeless citizens in our community. Some people say the governor is playing politics to raise his national profile at the expense of Acadiana's well-being. Non-profits that work with the homeless are now faced with the problem of how to fund their shelters.

“Crisis” is how the CEO of Catholic Charities of Acadiana described the situation at a panel discussion on homelessness. Her comments refer to the situation after Gov. Landry vetoed money that was meant to fund local homeless shelter programs.

In a statement, Landry now cites the Catholic Church's stance on immigration policy as a reason for the veto, even though the funding was meant for homeless citizens. The program has nothing to do with immigration.

"This is creating a whiplash situation, in which, on one hand, Jeff Landry is insistent on getting the Ten Commandments posted in schools and universities across Louisiana,” said Pearson Cross, a political science professor at ULM. “And at the same time, he's backhanding a religious charity that, in fact, has operated by the same faith he subscribes to, which is the Catholic faith."

The decision has left many in shock.

Catholic Charities was counting on that money, which was overwhelmingly approved by the legislature, for the new fiscal year, which begins July 1.

A prominent political analyst said Landry appears to be picking a fight with the Catholic Church to raise his national political profile.

"Jeff Landry's in the process of making a reputation for himself. It's a national reputation, at this point, and he wants to be very clear on some issues and he doesn't want to have people looking back on his record and saying he coddled immigrants or did things like that," explained Cross.

To keep homeless shelters across Acadiana open, the shelter will now have to rely on private means and accept donations.

In a conversation on Thursday, Bishop J. Douglas Deshotel suggested the governor's veto shows a lack of compassion.

"We were very disappointed by that, of course, because we rely on what apparently part of the budget for the homeless and here, in Acadiana," said Bishop Deshotel. "And the statement that I read, I presumed that it's a correct quote of his, is that somehow, he leaps the fact that we take care of the homeless and feed the hungry as being that we are aiding and abetting illegal immigration or illegal immigrants, when the large majority of the clients that are served by Catholic Charities of Acadiana are from Acadiana. They're homeless people here."

The bishop went on to say that St. Joseph Shelter for Men is the only shelter in Lafayette to help with the homeless out on the street during the cold winter months and south Louisiana's very hot summers.

"The narrative, which I believe is false, is that somehow helping people who are in need is now associated with inviting more illegal immigrants to come into the country. And so, the blame has been put on works across the country, the United States of Catholic Charities when we're not a police department and we don't make the immigration laws. That's the job of the legislature and the national legislature. And they've messed that up so much that now they don't know what to do about it," explained Bishop Deshotel.

He reiterated that it was disheartening to read the statement and he hopes the governor changes his mind. The bishop noted Gov. Landry has been a great help to the Catholic Church in supporting pro-life and believes there should be a connection that the Catholic Church is respecting life by caring for the homeless and the hungry.

The bishop added that Catholics are called to follow the Gospel and care for those in need. He quoted Matthew 25, "I was hungry and you gave me to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me to drink. I was homeless and you welcomed me. As often as you did it for the least of my brethren, you did it for me."

Bishop Deshotel emphasized that Catholic Charities does that and provides many other services for those who are in need.

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