Jackson receives $1.6 million federal grant to help tackle homelessness

Strides in combatting homelessness continue in Jackson as the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development presented the city with a $1.6 million check on April 26 for its Continuum of Care (CoC) initiative.

Following the groundbreaking of the city's first men's homeless shelter only a week before the presentation of the check, Jackson is making a concerted effort to address the humanitarian crisis of homelessness.

Funding from the check addresses the community of those classified as "unsheltered homelessness," tailored to unhoused individuals, who are living on the street, opposed to those who live in their car or are couch surfing.

HUD Regional Administrator Jose Alvarez explained that through a collaboration between President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge, the check presented to Jackson comes as a result of the administration's "mission to prioritize solving homelessness with an urgency."

"On Feb. 2, HUD announced the first set of 46 communities to receive over $300 million in Continuum of Care grants through a first-of-its-kind funding initiative to address unsheltered homeless and homelessness in rural communities," Alvarez said.

The check presented to Jackson comes as the second round of federal grant disbursements through this initiative.

A number of entities across the region will benefit from the money, including the West Tennessee Healthcare Foundation, Area Relief Ministries, Jesus Cares and Tennessee Homeless Solutions.

Funds will help new men's shelter

Amy McDonald, Tennessee Homeless Solutions Executive Director, noted that a little over $1 million will be used by THS to offer support services for those, who will reside in the new homeless shelter, while aiming to place them in permanent housing.

Area Relief Ministries will receive $200,000 of the grant and Jesus Cares, a nonprofit agency building tiny homes for unsheltered individuals, will be awarded $414,000.

Vicki Lake, West Tennessee Healthcare Foundation director, described how the grants administered through the Continuum of Care initiative, which began in 2002, is the "embodiment of all the agencies that work hard to help people that are homeless."

"My passion is to help people, the hospital lets me do that," Lake said. "It's just a wonderful reflection of West Tennessee Healthcare and their interest in helping beyond in-patient care, and out-patient care, wanting to help the community be better, and this is a way. I'm just so excited because you don't just get a regional HUD administrator to come to your community, and it's very exciting for me on a personal level as well as a professional level."

This article originally appeared on Jackson Sun: Jackson continues to address homelessness with $1.6 million grant