Residents in Jackson, Mississippi, have voiced opposition to plans to build a large homeless complex, arguing that the project could worsen crime.
A $600,000 plan to build 60 tiny homes for the unhoused has not yet been approved by the City Council, but has already faced pushback from homeowners and skepticism from some council members. There is.
“There are people who are saying, ‘We can’t let it pass, we can’t let it pass,'” said 5th Ward Councilman Vernon Hurley. told WLBT 3. “We need to do something about homelessness in Jackson. [but] Building additional facilities without managing the overall picture of homelessness will not help. ”
Hartley also said advocates have complained that homelessness causes a variety of problems. These include, in some cases, abandoned buildings burning down after being set on fire to keep warm.
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A view of the Tarzana Tiny Home Village housing complex, which provides temporary housing for homeless people, on July 9, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. The structure is similar to one planned for Jackson, Mississippi. (Robin Beck/AFP/Getty)
He emphasized that he is focused on taking care of West Jackson residents before bringing new people into the community. Mr Hartley also called for community grants to repair homes and funding to clean roads and grounds.
“If we build it, they will come,” he added, according to a WLBT report.
The plan also includes a communal kitchen and bathrooms on the 18-acre site in West Jackson, which some argue could draw even more homeless people to the area.
Resident Sheka Epps said she supports housing for people experiencing homelessness, but the current site is too close to West Jackson homeowners and schools.
“We’re going to see more homelessness, more blight, and more businesses leaving the area that will overwhelm the area,” she told WLBT. “We have a lot of land. We have a lot of rural land here in Jackson and throughout Hinds County. We could build a homeless encampment anywhere in the suburbs.”
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A homeless encampment in the East Phillips neighborhood. Minneapolis is among the states preparing to clear encampments in the cold to house the homeless in shelters and housing. (Michael Silk/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
But supporters such as Jackson Resource Center CEO Putaramas White argue the plan will help house the city’s roughly 3,000 homeless people.
“Building this will move us in the right direction as a city,” White said at a recent City Council meeting. “It’s definitely going to take a lot of the homeless people in West Jackson off the streets.”
Biden administration said last week It announced that it would allocate $3.16 billion to more than 6,000 projects across the country similar to the one proposed in Jackson.
The Jackson City Council has not yet responded to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
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