Jackson council approves $2.9M to help build 60-unit tiny home village for homeless people

Things got heated and shouting matches ensued during a vote of the Jackson City Council on Tuesday that authorized the City of Jackson to enter into a nearly $2.9 million contract to build a 60-unit tiny home village in West Jackson for the city's homeless population.

The contentious, nearly 1-hour long debate, which saw council members yelling at each other and council members yelling at Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba, was followed by a 4-3 vote that approved $2.9 million from the city to help start the project.

Ward 2 Councilwoman Angelique Lee, Ward 4 Councilman Brian Grizzell, Ward 6 Councilman Aaron Banks and Ward 7 Councilwoman Virgi Lindsay voted in favor of the project. Ward 1 Councilman Ashby Foote, Ward 3 Councilman Kenneth Stokes and Ward 5 Councilman Vernon Hartley voted against the measure.

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The project is called "Safe Place, Safe Space" and will be undertaken by the Jackson Resource Center, a nonprofit that services homeless people, and will be built on 18-acres of abandoned property on Capers Avenue.

It started with a public comment at the beginning of the council's Tuesday meeting by Shelia Harper, who urged the council to vote against the tiny home village. Harper, who has previously talked with the Clarion Ledger about her concerns, said the plans were not properly discussed with the residents of West Jackson. She also said the area has already been affected negatively by other homeless facilities located in West Jackson.

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"We wasn't a part of your decision making. It ain't about what you think about each other, it's about the people and we want answers," Harper said.

Hartley, the councilman who represents Ward 5, is vehemently opposed to the project, saying issues with homeless people such as drug addiction and mental health make Ward 5 unsustainable for its residents and children. He asked the council to table the vote, so the residents of West Jackson could have their questions answered.

"The community feels abused and shut down by this thing being shoved down their throats," Hartley said. "And now, from our position of leadership, we're stopping the discussion of serious questions to address this."

Hartley said he would like to see a comprehensive plan that addresses homelessness throughout Jackson, something he asked Lumumba if the city could figure out before starting the tiny home village project.

"Without a plan we're doomed for failure. If we don't sit down and know that we have a shared problem and come up with shared solutions, we can't fix that problem," Hartley said, adding that he wasn't against the homeless, but rather wanted to see a better plan in place.

Foote also questioned why the village needed to be built when there are over 2,000 abandoned houses that have been tax forfeited to the state of Mississippi waiting to be utilized. Like Hartley, he also said the concerns of the residents of West Jackson should be taken under consideration before any decisions are made.

"My concern is that when you decide on a specific 18-acres … you need to talk to the local people in that community and assess the fragility of their communities and neighborhoods," Foote said. "You need to talk to the pastors and the churches, you need to have town halls and community meetings and see what they think. This (the project) is something that I think puts those communities at risk."

Lumumba, as well as council members Lee, Banks and Grizzell, all defended the project, saying it would be a starting point for the city to solve the issue of homelessness in each ward.

"I think we all know each one of us has a huge homeless issue in each of our wards," Lee said. "We have to do something. We can't keep saying we have an issue and not try to put something in place. This addresses a comprehensive, wrap-around service for the homeless. They have opportunities to get counseling, to get food, to have a warm place to lay their heads, to bring their pets."

The tiny home village isn't just a homeless shelter, Lee said, but "a house for them to feel like they have something of their own with the services they need."

Lumumba responded to Hartley's wanting a more comprehensive homelessness plan by stating that the project was the plan.

"This is the comprehensive solution (to homelessness) because we've done our homework. This is non-congregant housing, which is transitional housing," Lumumba said. "People won't be randomly pulled off the streets, they will be looked at (as) candidates, they will be getting services, they will be trying to move them out of homelessness. What you don't like about homelessness we are trying to remove from your community."

In defense of the project, Lumumba said he was in Los Angeles last week taking a tour of the skid row neighborhood that has put in place a similar service to the tiny home village.

"They took me to non-congregant housing that they have been able to take thousands of people out of homelessness and transition them into homes," the mayor said.

Lumumba also acknowledged that Ward 5 bears the burden of dealing with most of the city's homeless population because of the amount of services located in the area but said those decisions were made before he took office. He also acknowledged he understands that West Jackson residents don't want the project in their backyard.

"This is not a unique problem to Jackson. In fact it has a title. It's called 'nimbyism,' which stands for 'not in my backyard,'" Lumumba said. "And the reality is, if we don't prepare for transitional housing in our backyard, then you might as well get used to homelessness in your front yard because that's what's there. That's what's there today!"

Lumumba finished by inviting Hartley and any concerned residents "to meet with me, so we can show you the plans," before having to leave the council meeting to attend another press conference.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Jackson MS approves funding for tiny home village for homeless people