A single mother and her two children, a young single man, a United States military veteran who fought for the country and suffers from mental health issues — these are just some of the people who make up the homeless population in the Golden Triangle.
The definition of homelessness isn’t an easy one, though.
The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development has two separate categories: sheltered and unsheltered. A sheltered homeless person is someone regardless of age who is in a homeless shelter. An unsheltered homeless person is someone “in a place not meant for human habitation, such as cars, parks, sidewalks, and abandoned buildings.”
Some groups have a “less strict definition of what it means to be homeless. Brandi Herrington, executive director of Starkville Strong, said the organization’s definition is made to encompass how smaller towns see homelessness.
“The federal and state definition of homelessness is very strict, and we feel it doesn’t account for smaller populated areas where we don’t see tent cities or individuals sleeping in boxes,” Herrington told The Dispatch in an email. “Starkville Strong defines homelessness as the following: couch surfing, sleeping at multiple homes within one week due to no home or shelter, sleeping in a car, multiple families in a home meant for one, hotel paid for by themselves or an organization, sleeping in abandoned buildings, sleeping on the streets, sleeping on porches, in parks or other spaces not meant for sleeping.”
In Columbus, Glenda Buckhalter-Richardson helps the homeless and those in poverty as the city’s own director of community outreach. Her definition of homelessness includes people who may live in a house but do not have the basic necessities such as clean, running water and electricity.
HUD bases funding for homeless organizations on an annual point-in-time (PIT) count. The last PIT count from the Golden Triangle Regional Homeless Coalition, was taken February 22, so it does not fully represent the number of people homeless aid groups have helped over the last four months, according to GTRHCs president Susan Garton.
The survey initially reported four homeless in Clay County, 14 in Lowndes County and zero in Oktibbeha County, which Garton says simply isn’t the case.
“We get our numbers from (Mississippi United to End Homelessness) in Tupelo, but their headquarters are in Jackson,” Garton said. “MUTEH sends us all of our numbers. … Honestly, some of the numbers are not accurate. Our numbers and Starkville’s numbers are growing rapidly.”
Herrington confirms this with Starkville Strong currently having 78 known homeless cases in the city of Starkville.
Area organizations that help address homelessness say they most frequently serve single mothers; single males are second.
The three organizations have seen a rise in homelessness in the area over the last few years, and Buckhalter-Richardson even said she has helped an influx of people in the last two weeks because of the rising cost of gas.
Once the pandemic began in 2020, Herrington said there was a shift in those facing housing stability in Starkville.
“I think it’s important to acknowledge homelessness has always been here in Starkville, but there has never been a system to address it properly,” Herrington said. “Another hindrance to our progress in helping the homeless population has been the lack of acknowledgement that it even exists. The pandemic definitely highlighted the issue of housing instability. No longer was poverty the main cause of homelessness. People facing or experiencing homelessness are your neighbors. They are teachers, firefighters, front line workers and more. It’s also important to remember that without a support system and proper structure for addressing housing instability, each of us is one or two catastrophes away from facing homelessness.”
Garton says part of the recent influx is due to people in smaller communities such as Amory, Aberdeen and Hamilton being told they can find more resources in larger area cities such as Columbus and Starkville.
Home insecurity makes steady employment more difficult, and oftentimes those who do have a job still require assistance because the job does not pay enough to pay for rent, utilities, food, gas and other expenses, according to both Garton and Buckhalter-Richardson.
Starkville Strong, GTR Homeless Coalition and the City of Columbus Community Outreach all help those experiencing homelessness and poverty by helping them find shelter, employment, and food. They help their clients apply for housing grants and walk them through the applications, which according to Garton often can be very confusing for anyone applying.
Beating the heat
The summer heat is setting in, with heat advisories already issued for the area for all of next week. Temperatures before heat index and humidity will be in the upper 90s could even reach triple digits.
Heat advisories have already been issued for this week, with high temperatures in the upper 90s. Heat indices are expected to be even higher.
The GTR Homeless Coalition and Starkville Strong are working together to combat heat exhaustion by opening cooling shelters.
“Starkville Strong and the Golden Triangle Regional Homeless Coalition are currently working on a partnership to provide a cooling shelter for residents of Starkville,” Herrington said. “There has been an email drafted that we will be sending out … to different churches and organizations to address the upcoming heatwave. We are hoping there will be a positive response to our proposed plan.”
Throughout Columbus and Starkville, there are many grab-and-go food pantries that are stocked by private donations and organizations.
Over the summer Garton asks for people to help keep them stocked with nonperishable food and bottled water.
Helping out
For those in the area looking to help out, both Starkville Strong and the GTR Homeless Coalition could use donations, volunteers and help identifying people in need.
“Do not approach anyone you think might be homeless,” Garton warned. “Some may have mental health issues and it can put you at risk. Give us a call at (662) 549-2643, and we will get the information needed to go help that person. The best way to help is to donate and spread awareness.”
