Mamou Council hears of the tragedy of domestic abuse

Marie Guidry, Faith House outreach coordinator and advocate for Evangeline Parish, discussed the tragic consequences of domestic abuse during the monthly meeting of the Mamou Town Council, Wednesday, February 12.
Guidry, who has been with Faith House since Novemberr, said a rough estimate of the number of women who come to Faith House in Ville Platte each year is 100. Those are the ones Faith House starts a case file on, and do not include women who call for advice. Women who need shelter are taken to the 42-bed Faith House shelter in Lafayette, she said.
Services provided by Faith House in Ville Platte and other locations include safety planning, help with legal matters, such as obtaining restraining orders, and escorting women safely.
Escorting, sheltering and legal protections are done to avoid life threatening conditions that are more common than many people realize, Guidry said, such as domestic violence being the number-one cause of death of pregnant women.
In the U.S., a woman is battered every nine seconds but only one in four cases is reported, Guidry said, because the women don’t want to bring shame to themselves or their families. That might be because the husband is a prominent member of the community or to avoid affecting children in school because of police involvement.
One of every 12 women is stalked in their lifetimes, Guidry said, and 70 percent of stalkers are former husbands or boyfriends. Also, half of all homeless women are fleeing domestic violence.
Eighty-five percent of all prisoners in the U.S. have come from homes where domestic violence occurred. Worldwide, 115 children are battered each hour, Guidry said.
Besides Evangeline Parish, Faith House has offices in Acadia, Lafayette, St. Landry, Vermillion, Avoyelles and Rapides parishs. Guidry said people can call her at 363-8504 for more information.
The Mamou Town Council approved of three police personnel changes requested by Police Chief Greg Dupuis during the meeting.
Former Patrolman Michael Fruge, who had resigned, was rehired as a full-time patrolman, pending routine psychological testing. Michael Thomas, who was a part-time patrolman, was made a full-time patrolman. Also, Stephanie Miller was hired as a new part-time dispatcher.
The Mamou Council also approved of a resolution prepared for local governments in the state by the Louisiana Municipal Association. The resolution calls on the state’s congressional delegation to support legislation that would stop flood insurance premiums from rising.
By signing the resolution, Mamou joins the Coalition for Sustainable Flood Insurance, which supports passage of the Homeowner Flood Insurance Affordability Act (HFIA).
The HFIA stops flood insurance rate increases of up to 25 percent a year due to another act passed by Congress in 2012. The 2012 legislation called for an “affordability study” by FEMA, which Senator David Vitter and other proponents of HFIA say has not been done.
In October 2013, millions of flood insurance policy holders throughout the U.S. faced starkly higher flood insurance premiums because of the 2012 legislation.
On the same day as the Mamou Council met, Louisiana Congressman Bill Cassidy announced that U.S. House Majority Leader Eric Cantor will consider the HFIA legislation in the House. The Senate passed the legislation in January.
In other Mamou Council business:
•Gary Ortego, candidate for Evangeline Parish Division A judge, spoke to the council.
•The Council approved of an ordinance to have four-way stop signs placed at the intersection of Third and Chestnut streets. Mayor Ricky Fontenot said residents in the area had complained of speeding vehicles there.
The town’s attorney, Pete Savoy, will draft the ordinance for approval by the council during its March meeting.