On April 19 the City of Jackson, TN hosted a groundbreaking ceremony for the new Men's Homeless Shelter.
The event was attended by various city officials, including Mayor Scott Conger, Chief Innovation Officer Lauren Kirk, and City Council members, as well as representatives from the Jackson Housing Authority, Tennessee Homeless Solutions, and community members. During the ceremony, the group came together to toss the dirt in celebration of the beginning of construction, which is set to take place this spring. The new shelter will provide a much-needed resource for homeless men in the community and is a significant step towards addressing the issue of homelessness in Jackson.
Project Purpose:
This project began following the tragic death of an unsheltered individual in our community in 2020. Mayor Conger agreed to allow the Civic Center to be used as an emergency warming shelter during the winter months from December 2020 - March 2021 while the Civic Center was closed to public events due to COVID-19. A condition of this agreement was that local agencies would work together to establish a plan to create a permanent shelter. There has been heavy public interest in and support for this project.
Project Funding:
The City received additional CDBG and HOME grants as a part of the CARES Act and American Rescue Plan Act for economic recovery from COVID-19, to total approximately $1.5M. These funds can be used to acquire a building, renovate a building, or construct a building to serve as an emergency homeless shelter, with restrictions. These funds do NOT cover operating costs, and will be allocated as a reimbursement to the City. Allowable activities for these funds also include expenses associated with due diligence such as an appraisal and preparing the design specifications. The shelter design must meet HUD specifications, including COVID-19 guidelines which do not allow for congregate sheltering, and the property must serve as a shelter for a minimum of 15 years.
Project Location:
The McCorry Street site was selected based on proximity to other services that serve the homeless population, particularly RIFA, with a JTA bus stop nearby. The City and the CRA have acquired the remaining lots where the shelter will be built and have demolished existing blighted structures that were previously on the lots. The shelter is also near McMillian Towers, owned and operated by the Jackson Housing Authority. The City and JHA desire to work together over the next several years to uplift the residential neighborhood surrounding the site and establish a zone for quality, affordable housing and transitional housing that will work in tandem with the shelter and other housing and recovery services.
Operator and Contractor Selection:
In July 2021, the City also recently released an RFP to competitively select an operator to award a one-year renewable lease for $1 per year to operate the shelter. Lease renewal will be contingent upon quarterly reporting to the City and program success. The operator will be responsible for all necessary operating expenses, including minor property maintenance. The property will be covered under the City's insurance with the operator required to carry general liability insurance.
The operator was selected prior to the shelter construction in order to be involved in the development of the design specifications and to allow the organization adequate time to prepare to take on this facility. Tennessee Homeless Solutions was the only agency to respond to the RFP, and was subsequently selected as the shelter's operator. Tennessee Homeless Solutions has an extensive history of serving homeless men throughout West Tennessee, and will handle all of the costs, programming, compliance, and other matters associated with operations of the shelter. According to Tennessee Homeless Solutions, as part of the emergency housing requirements, individuals will be allowed to stay in the shelter up to a maximum of 90 days before being transitioned into other housing or related programs.
Henson Construction Services and TLM Associates, Inc were selected as the construction manager and architect for the project through an RFP released by the City.
Timeline:
The project is still in the design phase, with a goal of site work beginning late spring/early summer 2023, and a goal of completion by January 2024.
FAQs:
Why Now?
Ongoing and growing need, public concern and support, availability of funds, and the formation of an inter-agency coalition focused on establishing a permanent homeless shelter made this project more urgent, viable, and feasible to complete now versus previous attempts. Additionally, having a non-congregate emergency homeless shelter will be an asset for the City now amid the coronavirus pandemic and in the future should another pandemic arise.
Why the City?
Homelessness is a public safety concern with a public cost that the City has a responsibility to address. The availability of funds that can be used specifically for establishing the shelter has allowed the City to take a more direct role now than in the past.
Why a Shelter for Adult Men Only?
Data collected from various agencies in our community has demonstrated that adult men make up majority of our local homeless population. Additionally, there are more services that serve women and children, to include the Care Center and the Dream Center. During the height of the pandemic, services for women and children remained open, but services for men were faced with closure or reductions due to the lack of non-congregate settings for housing adult homeless men. A larger shelter that can intake men, women, and children is not feasible to pursue at this time with the additional space, staffing, and safety considerations that would have to be made.
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