Stop lights, sidewalks, parks, freeway on and off ramps, the exit of a drive thru window. It’s in these places and more where it seems area homeless are spending their time. Some, not all, of these individuals can be aggressive in asking for money at times.
Jackson Mayor Daniel Mahoney made his weekly appearance on AM Jackson with Greg O’Connor on Wednesday and was asked his to share his feelings on the issue.
“Homelessness is something that is very close to my heart. Having been homeless before, so that is I situation that I understand directly what it feels like to be homeless.”
Mahoney went on to say that in his opinion, there are two types of homeless:
“There are people that are homeless that are in between finding houses and then there are people who I would call “chronically homeless”. You can put them in a house and it’s not going to make a difference because sooner than later their going to end up on the street…there’s a whole list of additional services that they need in order to be able to truly get out of the cycle of homelessness”
“Putting someone in a home is not always the answer, it’s all those additional wrap around services that they need. Some people don’t want to be housed”
“I think our responsibility as government is to support the individuals and entities in our community who are the experts at homelessness. Those individuals and entities, whatever support the City can provide, I’ll do my best to make sure the City is providing that support”.
On Tuesday, September 13th, the Jackson City Council voted to postpone the approval of a contract that would renovate a home on Hollywood Street to provide transitional housing for those in need. The matter will return once the council has an opportunity to see exactly what the proposed $200, 486 contract Eagle Ventures Inc entails.
The motion to postpone the approval was made by Councilwoman Laura Dwyer Schlecte. Councilman Will Forgrave voiced his concern that the price tag seemed high for a home that is less than 900 square feet.
The Jackson City Council reconvenes on Tuesday, September 27th at City Hall and the issue will once again be considered.
Stay tuned to WKHM and WKHM.com for more.