WBRZ - Baton Rouge

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• Shelters seeing an increase in people needing help

  January 28, 2013 8:52 PM

  BATON ROUGE- Area shelters are starting to see an increase in people needing a place to sleep, and have had to turn people away because there is not enough room. "If it wasn't for here, I'd be out on the street," said Lois Ellsworth. For two months, she's... more »

• Baker family loses everything to fire

  October 8, 2012 10:44 AM

  BAKER- A fire in Baker this weekend left five adults and two children homeless. The fire happened Sunday in the 3600 block of Harding Street. Firefighters said it started in a shed, then spread to the house. The fire destroyed the buildings, as well as two cars on... more »

• Volunteers throw backyard BBQ for homeless Play Video

  July 4, 2012 5:33 PM

  BATON ROUGE - Volunteers did their part to make sure the less fortunate didn't miss out on fun and barbecue this Independence Day. Volunteers from the House of Praise in Walker set up their grill in downtown and fixed up a plate of barbecue chicken, baked beans, and potato... more »

• Doctors: Face-chewing victim 'awake and alert'

  June 12, 2012 12:35 PM

  MIAMI - A homeless man whose face was mostly chewed off in a bizarre attack is awake and alert at a Miami hospital. In a photograph shown to reporters Tuesday, Ronald Poppo is walking down a hospital hallway, supported by hospital staff on either side of him. Doctors are planning... more »

• Silicon Valley entrepreneur lived at AOL office

  May 28, 2012 4:00 PM

  PALO ALTO, Calif. - A Silicon Valley entrepreneur who secretly lived at the office of AOL Inc. to save money now has his own place. The San Jose Mercury News reports that 20-year-old Eric Simons recently received $50,000 in new funding and is renting a house in Palo Alto. Simons... more »

• Homeless create tent city near downtown Baton Rouge Play Video

  March 20, 2012 6:27 PM

  BATON ROUGE - On the banks of the Mississippi River, on the other side of the railroad tracks, and near the Pentagon Barracks, dozens of tents sit hidden inside the brush. They've been there for months, and the people that call it home say they can't get jobs in... more »

• Tent city spotted in downtown Baton Rouge

  March 20, 2012 2:07 PM

  BATON ROUGE - On the banks of the Mississippi River, on the other side of the railroad tracks, and near the Pentagon Barracks, dozens of tents sit hidden inside the brush. They've been there for months, and the people that call it home say they can't get jobs in... more »

• VA to spend $6M on homeless center in New Orleans

  February 28, 2012 4:08 AM

  NEW ORLEANS - The Department of Veterans Affairs says it will spend $6 million to open a new homeless center in New Orleans. The homeless center will be in the first floor of an addition to a downtown VA hospital. The center will be a place where veterans and homeless... more »

• Report: New Orleans' homeless rate 2nd in nation

  February 6, 2012 3:47 AM

  NEW ORLEANS - The National Alliance to End Homelessness says New Orleans has the nation's second-highest rate of homelessness. A new report from the group estimates that nearly 6,700 homeless people live in New Orleans. That's a rate of 56 per 10,000 - barely lower than the 57 per... more »

• AP NewsBreak: Dad of CA killings suspect homeless

  January 15, 2012 5:20 PM

  YORBA LINDA, Calif. - The father of the man suspected of killing homeless men in Southern California is himself homeless and says his son last week showed him a picture of one victim as a warning of the danger of being on the streets. Forty-nine-year-old Refugio Ocampo also told The... more »

• Electrical fire destroys family's home

  January 11, 2012 12:12 PM

  BATON ROUGE - Firefighters fought and controlled a fire within minutes on Eaton Street Wednesday, but the damage will leave a family of six homeless. The fire started around 10:30 a.m. Wednesday at 3739 Eaton St. while the occupants were out. Upon return, flames were seen coming out... more »

• HUD gives $26.3M to Louisiana homeless programs

  December 21, 2011 6:09 AM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has awarded Louisiana more than $26 million to help 153 homeless programs continue operating next year. Baton Rouge programs will receive more than $1.8 million in funding. The funding is part of HUD's Continuum of Care grants... more »

• Joplin victims offered existing homes

  May 30, 2011 11:32 AM

  JOPLIN, Mo. - Some of the people left temporarily homeless by the Joplin tornado could be placed in housing nearly an hour's drive from town. The Federal Emergency Management Agency told The Associated Press on Monday that its first option for housing the thousands of displaced is to find... more »

• BRPD arrests suspect in parking meter thefts

  April 15, 2011 10:55 AM

  BATON ROUGE - Police believe they've caught the person that damaged and stole from dozens of parking meters in downtown Baton Rouge. Sgt. Don Stone said officers arrested Marcus Wayne Smith, 39, in suspicion of 42 counts of felony theft and criminal damage early Friday morning. Stone said... more »

• Homeless man arrested for car burglary

  March 17, 2011 12:45 PM

  Baton Rouge - A homeless teenager is in the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison after admitting to a string a car burglaries near Central. James Roberts, 19, confessed to seven burglaries on Frenchtown Road. Deputies say he admitted to breaking into a vehicle every other night between February... more »

• Homeless Michigan man seeks donor of diamond ring

  February 25, 2011 12:31 PM

  PONTIAC, Mich. - A homeless man in southeast Michigan says a woman accidentally gave him a gold ring laced with diamonds when she handed him a handful of change. Michael Secaur tells The Oakland Press that he was panhandling at an intersection in Pontiac on Monday when a woman... more »

• La. homeless health to be polled

  February 6, 2011 10:24 AM

  BATON ROUGE- The state of Louisiana has been going into urban areas to first identify homeless people with serious health issues and then focus on finding housing for them. Randy Nichols, executive director of the Capital Area Alliance for the Homeless, tells The Advocate that although Georgia is looking... more »

• Fire damages apartment buildings in Baker

  January 26, 2011 9:19 PM

  BAKER- Three families are homeless after a fire burned down a four-plex apartment building in Baker. It happened on Singletary Drive this evening around 5:00. The blaze started when a soft drink machine caught fire in a vending building attached to one of the two buildings of Singletary... more »

• Police: Homeless man stabs man in head

  January 23, 2011 1:01 PM

  HOUMA- Police say a homeless man faces an attempted second-degree murder charge after he stabbed a man who took him into his home. Houma Police said the 50-year-old victim was allowing the homeless man to stay with him and the two got into a fight Friday while drinking. ... more »

• $640K in grants to fight homelessness

  January 23, 2011 12:22 PM

  ALEXANDRIA- The federal government has more than $640,000 in grants to several projects that fight homelessness in central Louisiana. The awards were part of more than $26 million that was distributed this week through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development HUD's Opening Doors strategy. Kendra Gauthier,... more »

• Some victims in New Orleans warehouse fire ID'd

  December 31, 2010 11:59 AM

  NEW ORLEANS - New Orleans' coroner's office has released the identities of four of the eight young victims who died when a fire destroyed the abandoned warehouse where they were trying to keep warm. They were 20-year-old Jonathan Guerrero from Texas; 17-year-old Melissa Martinez from Scotts Valley, Calif.; 22-year-old Jeffrey... more »

• Warehouse where eight died was set for demolition

  December 29, 2010 1:16 PM

  NEW ORLEANS - A New Orleans city official says the abandoned warehouse where eight homeless squatters died in a fire was on a list of properties slated for demolition. Jeff Hebert, the city's director of blight policy, said Wednesday that the city had tried since 2007 to get the property... more »

• Officials: eight fire victims were trying to stay warm

  December 28, 2010 3:43 PM

  NEW ORLEANS - The deadliest city blaze in decades killed eight homeless squatters who were burning debris in an abandoned warehouse to stay warm Tuesday, authorities said. Firefighters said they could not tell the ages or genders of those who died because their bodies were so badly burned. A 23-year-old... more »

• Warehouse fire kills 8 in New Orleans

  December 28, 2010 7:29 AM

  NEW ORLEANS - A blaze in a small, abandoned warehouse in New Orleans killed eight homeless people who were burning wood in a barrel to stay warm, the fire department said Tuesday. A man who lives nearby said the homeless often seek refuge from the cold in the neighborhood's many... more »

• Volunteers, bishop serve Christmas meal to those in need

  December 25, 2010 10:45 AM

  BATON ROUGE Volunteers and Bishop Muench will serve a Christmas meal to hundreds of people in need today. Lunch will be served from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the St. Vincent de Paul dining room. The dining room is located at 220 St. Vincent de Paul Place. ... more »

• Homeless man questioned after search for Bush home

  September 10, 2010 12:56 PM

  Police say the Secret Service questioned a homeless man who was knocking on doors near the Dallas home of George W. Bush in search of the former president. Dallas police said Friday the man was picked up last Saturday several streets from Bush's home in the upscale neighborhood of... more »

• HUD announces $1.6M in homeless aid to Louisiana

  July 8, 2010 5:18 AM

  Homeless assistance programs in Louisiana are getting $1.6 million in federal help. The money will provide support to four projects: Acadiana C.A.R.E.S., Inc., for disabled homeless persons in Lafayette, $205,675; Easter Seals Louisiana/Integrated Community Engagement Shreveport, $209,393; Rays of Sonshine/Sonshine Yellow House Project Monroe, $90,898; and UNITY of Greater New... more »

• Homeless Man gets Ticket Home

  July 1, 2010 8:20 PM

  A hairdresser in Hawaii helped send a homeless man back to Seattle to be with his ailing father. Denise Sakai answered a call for donations to send Gregory Reese back home. Instead of a partial donation, she bought him a $299 ticket because she says she was touched he wanted... more »

• Nevada teen admits fatal beating of homeless man

  June 30, 2010 1:18 PM

  A Nevada teenager has admitted he fatally beat and stomped a homeless man in Reno after stealing $6 from the victim, along with some beer, cigarettes and a small radio. James Pineda faces 10 years to life in prison after pleading guilty Tuesday to second-degree murder in the death... more »

• Minister inspires others to help the homeless

  June 17, 2010 11:11 PM

  Helping the homeless in Baton Rouge is contagious. Pastor Joseph Moore runs the Baton Rouge YMCA’s homeless ministry. He was previously featured on News 2 and has now inspired others to get involved. Tonight, News 2’s Sylvia Weatherspoon showed us what happened after Judy Nelson saw Moore’s story and called... more »

• Easter dinner at St. Vincent de Paul

  April 4, 2010 11:03 AM

  St. Vincent de Paul is opening its dining room to the poor and homeless this Easter. Volunteers will serve a hot Easter meal from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Easter baskets filled with goodies will also be given to guests 12 years old and younger. Last year... more »

• A jail mistake may not be limited to one incident

  February 26, 2010 10:14 PM

  According to LSU law professor Lucy McGough, Melissa Poche could have been held longer while waiting to go before a judge but not appointing an attorney was a clear violation of Poche's rights. Deputies arrested Poche last summer, but her charges were dropped soon after. A mistake in paper... more »

• HUD awards BR area $1.7 million in homeless grants

  December 31, 2009 9:07 AM

  The Department of Housing and Urban Development is renewing $25.8 million in grants for 151 programs in Louisiana that help homeless people. $1.7 million of that is coming to the Baton Rouge area. $13 million of that money is headed to the New Orleans and Jefferson parish areas. The... more »

• Homeless man breaks into house, cooks meal

  November 25, 2009 6:03 AM

  Alexandria police have arrested 29-year-old Bobby Culbert who they say broke into an home to cook a meal. A woman told police she walked into her home to find a man inside. She said she asked the man what he was doing, and he told her it was his aunt's... more »

• Homeless surveyed about the help they need

  November 20, 2009 5:36 PM

  A group of squatters living under the North Boulevard bridge in Baton Rouge is getting some much needed help. The organization Set Free Indeed surveyed the homeless folks to find out what they might need to get back on their feet. Along side the group, District 10 Councilwoman Tara... more »

• District 10 Homeless Initiative

  November 20, 2009 4:06 PM

  Contact District 10 Councilwoman Tara Wicker for more information on how to contribute at (225)389-5140 or e-mail dcavalier@brgov.com . more »

• Homeless squatters told to leave

  November 5, 2009 6:07 PM

  A group of homeless squatters living under a bridge in Baton Rouge were given one day to clear out Thursday morning. The group feels they aren't bothering anyone and doesn't know why they can't stay under the North Boulevard Overpass near 17th Street. "We're sleeping here under an... more »

• Woman starts group to help homeless teens

  November 4, 2009 8:52 PM

  A national organization that helps homeless teenagers get off the streets is looking to start an office in Baton Rouge. "Stand Up for Kids" provides food, shelter and life-skills training for kids who are on the streets. Patti Garner learned about the organization and wanted to start a... more »