Columbus’ homelessness issues might be made better with the right person in place to manage the city’s input on the problem, Ward 5 Councilman Stephen Jones said.
Jones, who is seeking his first full term on the council after winning the seat in last year’s Ward 5 special election, said the city needs to make sure it has the “right person” in position to tackle homelessness. Glenda Buckhalter, coordinator for the city’s Community Outreach Center, currently heads the city’s efforts to help the homeless.
Jones, answering a question an Exchange Club member asked at a candidate forum held Thursday at Lion Hills Center, indicated he believes Buckhalter could do more to help the issue.
When the club member, who has been involved with the Golden Triangle Regional Homeless Coalition, said Buckhalter didn’t get much in the way of funding, Jones compared her to Columbus Police Department Community Relations Officer Rhonda Sanders and said she could do more.
“If you have the right person in that position, they’ll know how to raise money,” Jones said. “…If Rhonda can raise as much money as she can for the things she does, I think that person (the community outreach director) ought to be able to raise a lot more money also, or work with the right people to raise money.”
Jones added he believes citizens, private entities and government officials will have to work together to combat the homeless issue.
Jones, along with his Republican Challenger, Mark Ward, spoke to the Columbus Exchange Club for its final candidate forum ahead of Tuesday’s General Election.
Ward, a former assistant fire chief with Columbus Fire and Rescue, referenced his experiences with working with churches and other nonprofits to help victims after fires.
He said Buckhalter is working to address the city’s homeless issue but also acknowledged she doesn’t have sufficient funding. He said churches and other groups could step in to help and added he believes nonprofits that request funding during the city’s budgeting process should show how they’re making a difference in the community.
“I think on that hearing day they need to come before us to show us how they have impacted the lives of the citizens,” Ward said. “That’s something maybe another nonprofit could pick up to help those citizens.”
Buckhalter responds
Buckhalter declined to respond directly to Jones’ criticism of her work. However, she said the Community Outreach Center actively seeks funding to help with its programs to combat homelessness.
“We do have fundraisers,” she said. “We do have donors that contribute on a regular basis. But I don’t think we’ll ever have enough funds to completely stamp out homelessness.”
Buckhalter also noted the center has initiatives to fight homelessness, such as a rapid housing program. She said that program pays for the deposits and first month of rent for housing for homeless people.
The Community Outreach Center also posts job openings and has a computer available for people to use to work on resumes or submit job applications. Buckhalter said the center also partners with local banks to help people improve their credit and work toward home ownership.
Buckhalter also discussed Columbus’ lack of a homeless shelter, which was a concern Exchange Club members raised. She said the city has met with several agencies to discuss creating a shelter, but the matter is cost-prohibitive.
“You have to have a part where you have single moms and children,” Buckhalter said. “You have to have a side where there are men. It has to be staffed (and) I’m assuming drug-tested. You have to have maybe a health facility to make sure they’re not bringing in diseases that could spread throughout the shelter — security to make sure there’s not fights and people are not being assaulted there.
“When you add up the cost, it’s not just the facility as most people think — ‘Oh, we can turn a building into one.’ It entails so much more than that,” she added.
Other topics
Ward leaned on his more than 30 years of experience in city government working with CFR during the forum. He touted his previous work in helping to craft a sick leave policy for the city and five-year plan for the fire department.
He also touched on a number of topics, from schools to crime and economic development. He said he believes prevention and education are vital to solving Columbus’ crime problem. Ward also said he wants to help CFR move to a Class 3 rating, which would help lower fire insurance costs for residents and businesses. The city currently has a Class 4 fire rating from the Mississippi State Ratings Bureau.
Jones said he’s proud of his communication with his constituents, which he said has helped him solve issues, such as paving streets where possible. He said he wants to create a rental property ordinance to improve some of the apartment complexes scattered through the city.
Jones also said, when asked about Ward 5’s racial divide between black and white communities primarily along the east and west side of Military Road, that whoever wins the seat should work to represent everyone in the ward.
“That’s the only way we’re going to actually become a better Columbus — is that we all work together,” Jones said. “It doesn’t matter whether you’re Republican or Democrat, whether you’re black, whether you’re white — when you go to the polls, you vote for the person you think represents all of Ward 5, as well as Columbus.”
Alex Holloway was formerly a reporter with The Dispatch.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 33 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.