Coordinated Effort Making A Dent In One City’s Homeless Population

TUPELO, MISS. (WCBI) – A recent policy change at a Lee County library that bans anyone on the property overnight has caused  confusion for some who, for whatever reason, don’t stay at the area’s only homeless shelter.

On most days, some of Tupelo’s homeless population can be found inside, or outside of the Lee County Library.  Belinda Sweet has been homeless for about two months.

“I had a job, fell and broke my leg, so I ended up losing my house and stuff like that,” Sweet said.

Sweet and her fiancee “Peanut” had been sleeping on library property overnight, but a new policy , adopted by the Lee Itawamba Library System Administrative Board of Trustees closes the library and property to the public between 10 pm and six am. That policy was adopted after the trash and other debris was left numerous times in the library’s parking lot.

Sweet’s fiancee doesn’t have any identification, so he cannot stay at the Salvation Army, the area’s only homeless shelter. But Sweet and her financee have also been working with “Mississippi United to End Homelessness, or MUTEH.   That group partners with cities, landlords and other organizations to find housing for the homeless.

MUTEH helped find housing for Sweet and Peanut.  They move in Monday.

“Now, we can actually get back up on our feet,  they’re helping him get his birth certificate and ID so he can get a job,” Sweet said.

Sara Ekiss is the Northeast Mississippi coordinator for MUTEH.  She helps those who want to get off the streets .

“We do street outreach on a weekly basis, so that means going to where they are , under the bridge, at the library, to the woods, to connect with these homeless individuals, we assess their situation and offer them housing, so it’s really up to that individual if they’re ready for housing or ready for the next step, if they decline services, we continue to reach out to them,” Ekiss said.

As community outreach coordinator for the city of Tupelo, Marcus Gary is on the city’s Homeless Task Force.  He works with MUTEH, churches and other agencies providing a wide range of services.

“Their meds, they can get back on their meds, we have people at our homeless task force that help with mental health issues, housing, several apartment complexes, things like that, landlords, we work with on a monthly basis to get them housed,” Gary said.

The efforts are making a difference,  data shows that the homeless population in Tupelo has dropped twenty percent in the past year, as people are finding permanent housing.

Members of the Homeless Task Force say there’s always room for more people who want to do something to help end homelessness.  The task force meets at 9 am every third Thursday, in the community room at the Tupelo Police Department.