By Sheridan White | LSU Manship School News Service
BATON ROUGE – A House committee has advanced a proposal to reshape how the state addresses homelessness, blending criminal justice oversight with expanded access to treatment and support services.
House Bill 211, known as the Streets to Success Act, advanced out of the Judiciary Committee 12-4 on Thursday and is on its way to the House floor.
The bill proposes the creation of a new “homelessness court” program designed to be a step between criminal justice and social services. The initiative aims to balance accountability with compassion while emphasizing fiscal responsibility and long-term outcomes for individuals, families and neighborhoods.
Rep. Debbie Villio, R-Kenner, a former state prosecutor who chairs a different House committee on criminal justice, described the legislation as a shift in mindset.
Treatment would no longer viewed solely as a social service but as “a core public safety infrastructure.” The bill calls for a coordinated, statewide strategy that integrates criminal justice systems with housing, health care and homelessness-response efforts into a unified continuum of care.
The proposed court model would reflect the reality that many unhoused individuals struggle with substance abuse, mental health issues or both. Villio acknowledged this overlap and emphasized the importance of addressing addiction as a chronic medical condition.
“I do believe that addiction is a chronic medical condition, and we have to look at how we address it,” Villio said.
Approximately 70 similar homeless court programs already exist across the country in both traditionally conservative and liberal states. Advocates argue that Louisiana’s version could expand access to treatment, especially given unused capacity at facilities such as Odyssey House Louisiana, which, according to Villio, has about half of its bed space available.
A key point of debate centers on whether individuals could be compelled into treatment. Villio maintained that participation would be mandated only if a person is involved in some sort of criminal activity, not simply for being unhoused.
Some Democrats expressed concern about potential overreach and the possibility of forcing vulnerable individuals into facilities unnecessarily.
“I do hope we’re not going to use this over-broadly and just because somebody’s unhoused that we need to move them into a facility,” said Rep. Edmond Jordan, D-Baton Rouge.
Jordan and Democratic Reps. Mandie Landry and Candace Newell of New Orleans and Vanessa LaFleur of Baton Rouge voted against the bill.
As the measure heads to the House floor, lawmakers must weigh whether its promise of structured intervention strikes the right balance between public safety and individual rights.
“We’re not looking to jail anyone,” Villio said. “We’re looking to integrate them with the criminal justice system in an effort to connect them to service providers.”