Council approves $220,000 homeless-housing contract over objection
JACKSON - The Jackson City Council approved a two-year, $220,000 contract with the Mississippi Housing Partnership to administer a renamed unhoused-services program funded through the city's federal HOME-ARP allocation.
The item, discussed as Item 19 at the council's Sept. 2 meeting, would have the nonprofit run the program, now called "Homeword Jackson." Councilwoman Tina Clay objected to putting the city's resources behind a single model, telling colleagues, "So, what I'm saying is don't put all your money in one basket. Go find you two or three programs. Let this be your model program. It works so well. Come back six months from us now and tell us all these people are taken care of and good day." The measure passed over her objection.
Other council members raised questions during the discussion, including whether housed individuals would remain drug-free, and the administration acknowledged it does not track overdose data among the population it serves. The contract concerns a program formerly known as "Clutch" before its rebranding, and marks the latest use of the city's HOME-ARP funds for homelessness services.