Jackson pursues private firm to tackle homelessness amid development push
Jackson leaders are exploring a public-private partnership with Houston-based Clutch Consulting to reduce visible homelessness and support downtown development, city officials and the consulting firm told Mississippi Today.
Mandy Chapman Semple, founder of Clutch, reviewed local data in March and told a task force convened by Mayor John Horhn that about 150 people sleep outside in Jackson while roughly 1,675 people cycle in and out of homelessness each year — a figure she said has risen nearly 50% since 2022, according to the Central Mississippi Continuum of Care and reporting by Mississippi Today. “When we can care for the most vulnerable among us and eliminate the public health crisis of homelessness that’s playing out on our streets, there are huge advantages for economic development,” Semple told Mississippi Today.
Clutch’s housing-first model emphasizes moving people into permanent housing quickly and then providing services, Semple said. A proposal obtained by Mississippi Today estimated the two-year effort would cost close to $10 million, with about $2.5 million coming from the city’s pandemic relief funds. City leaders say they must raise nearly $8 million before Semple can begin work, and Mayor Horhn has not signed a contract, Mississippi Today reported.
Local service providers said the approach could help but noted limits in existing systems. Jill Buckley, director of Stewpot Community Services, said homelessness in Jackson is perceived as a problem even if the unhoused population is smaller than in other cities. Melvin Stamps, planning director for the Central Mississippi Continuum of Care, said the Homeless Management Information System helps prioritize need but that shortages of rapid rehousing dollars and case managers create gaps. “We want to make sure this experience is number one, rare and number two, brief,” Stamps told Mississippi Today.
People living in encampments described mixed feelings about leaving. A man who gave his nickname as Newbie told Mississippi Today he would accept housing if his pit bull could come with him. Tim Sullivan, another resident, said fear of relapse has kept him from seeking an apartment but that he would like a place of his own. Their comments were included in reporting by Mississippi Today.
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