Park Lafayette

Park Lafayette is a former school housing development turned public housing area located on the Westside of Indianapolis. It is situated off the corner of 21st Street and Tibbs Avenue.

Issues

In its beginning it was an abundance of several dozen small town homes and dozens of apartment buildings to house college students. Over time the government stepped in and turned the neighborhood into a low-income housing area for low-income families. Problems developed over the years at its height, more than 1,000 people were housed in these projects. Murder, arsons, drugs, assaults, and gang issues were common in the area. Crime became such an issue in these projects that the Indianapolis Police Department set up a station located inside the projects in an effort to curb violence. The area decayed to an all-time low in the late 90s and early 00s, after which the government shut down most of the area.

Recent History

The housing projects are now under way for revitalizing as some buildings have been torn down, decayed buildings have been given new layers of paint, and apartments have received new maintenance. However, due to so much urban decay over the years, the area is half-way still decayed as several buildings are now abandoned, boarded up, corroded, and an eye-sore overall. The small homes that surround the project buildings have also decayed as many homes are now boarded up and abandoned. Plans have gone underway for them as well as several homes have been knocked down and replaced with newer plush homes. In recent times, there were still decisions being made in whether or not the projects should be fixed up, or completely knocked down. A few hundred people still inhabit this area.