Community members come together to help prevent homelessness

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – Temperatures dropped to near 17 degrees for some parts of our viewing area Tuesday night.

While many people bundled up and stayed warm in their homes, others did not have that luxury.

Nancy Guerry has worked with the Helping Hands organization in Columbus for almost three decades.

She said the homelessness situation in Columbus today is vastly different from when she first started.

“When we started thirty years ago, I mean, I would say probably within the first ten years we, maybe, saw five people… In the last five years or so, we have really seen it grow to be more of an epidemic,” said Guerry.

In addition to helping the homeless, Guerry’s program also tries to stop people from becoming homeless.

“Our policy here is to try to prevent homelessness the best we can. We would rather help a person pay their one month’s rent or their one month’s mortgage instead of having them lose their rent or lose their apartment and be out on the streets or we try and keep their lights on for them so they are not sitting in the dark,” said Guerry.

The Very Reverend Sandra Depriest, co-president of the Golden Triangle Regional Homeless Coalition, says her organization doesn’t think a permanent shelter is an answer to the problem.

“Our long-term goal is actually… for the homeless coalition initially not a shelter, it’s individual, progressively independent homes. Whether tiny houses or apartments that we can provide for someone, pay for them for several months until they can get on their feet and then begin to pay for them themselves or we help them get a job, train, whatever they need to do next,” said Depriest.

Even though many people view temporary housing as a quick fix, it can come in handy when temperatures drop.

“We’re asking everyone that is homeless to go to the Columbus Police Department where we have the temporary shelter set up… They can expect a cot with blankets and a pillow… warm food, Zachary’s provided soup last night, and we have different churches, organizations, and individuals that are willing to help them out with food,” said Columbus Community Outreach director Glenda Richardson.

With the homeless population on a steady rise, Guerry said there is no clear solution.

“Until we’re ready to sit down and discuss what’s actually causing these people to be in the position they’re in. It’s not necessarily just a person who can’t find work or can’t find a place to live. They have other issues that prevent them from taking advantage of all that’s out there,” said Guerry.

Depriest said Genesis Church, along with other churches and organizations, is working on opening a new homeless shelter at Hughes Elementary School in Columbus.

They are still ironing out those details.