City of Baker working to revitalize Historic Leland community

BAKER – City officials in Baker are starting a process to revitalize the town by restoring ten homes a year in the historic community of Leland.

The neighborhood is off Groom Road and there are few new homes and several houses in need of repairs.

“Our house has been built since ’72. It’s been remodeled, but it’s going to need more,” Eliva King said.

King is one of many living off of Groom Road and applied to have her home repaired.

“We could do a lot with $40,000. We don’t even have $40,000,” King said.

Carl Dillon, the President & CEO of Urban Restoration Enhancement Corporation (UREC), says that money can be spent on all types of home improvement projects. 

“It could be updating electrical, plumbing, anything that could be out of code right now. That’s what it entails,” Dillon said. 

It’s part of a federally funded program administered by the Louisiana Housing Commission and UREC.

“The primary mission was to rehab the oldest community on the other side of the tracks, the Leland Community,” Mayor Darnell Waites said.

Construction crews won’t be ready for a few months, but Mayor Waites says they are excited to come this far.

“We finally got here, now we can finally help the people we want to help,” Waites said.

To qualify, you must be considered low income, a single parent, elderly, or disabled. The City of Baker will host another in person application day on Saturday at City Hall from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. 

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