Resettlement of Pecan Acres

Franklin worked with LOCD-DR to develop and deploy one of the first buyout and relocation programs in Louisiana focusing on the Pecan Acres community in Pointe Coupee Parish.

Pecan Acres residents faced repetitive flooding over a 17-year period, which decreased home values and reduced the quality of life for the residents, most of whom could not make the necessary repairs to their home after each flooding event.  Due to the lack of available housing in close proximity to the existing neighborhood, LOCD-DR decided to use its CDBG-DR funding to develop new, resilient housing in a safer location nearby for residents of Pecan Acres.  

Franklin was engaged to assist the LOCD-DR with outreach, resident and stakeholder engagement, meeting facilitation, and case management. The success of this project hinged on these elements. Franklin completed the following tasks:

• Developed and led monthly community-wide meetings over a year-long period during the pre-construction and start of construction phases for the prospective residents of the new community to provide critical real-time project updates.

• Provided case management to coordinate document collection, which allowed verification of program eligibility, and involved liaising with the state’s contracted law firm to resolve any title issues.

• Facilitated housing counseling services for participating homeowners.

• Worked with the architect and build team to coordinate and facilitate design charrettes to gain resident input into the layout of the new community and the style of the homes.

• Assisted in coordination with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service program to return impacted areas to greenspace.  

• Facilitated forward progress on legal issue resolutions for homeowners with the state’s contracted law firm.

Franklin’s team also provided strategic process and policy development services from inception to completion. As the project moved into implementation, the Franklin team provided direct and comprehensive case management services to individual households and families without which programs of this nature cannot be successful.

By conclusion of the project, in January 2024, 39 of the 40 households in Pecan Acres agreed to participate in the buyout or relocation process. Of those, 22 households chose to relocate to safer ground elsewhere, while the remainder chose permanent residence in the new community, known as Audubon Estates. Today, the community is thriving, and additional homes have been developed for purchase by other low-to-moderate income families to complete the new neighborhood.