Down a dead-end road off Highway 45, interior car door panels lay on a blanket on top of the asphalt.
The beige exterior of the 1995 Mercury station wagon parked beside it nods to the original color of the interior parts. But Derek Thomas has spray painted the removed panels black.
“I’m remodeling,” Thomas said laughing, though he wasn’t joking at all.
The darker colors, he posits, will make it easier for him to sleep at night in his car, where he’s been living since he came to Columbus almost three months ago. While not an ideal living situation, especially as autumn nights get colder, the glimpse of a blue makeshift tent in a wooded area off the road – which appears to be another homeless encampment – signals even Thomas is more fortunate than some.
“I don’t go out there,” he said, pointing toward the woods. “I’m from Chicago. I’m used to bullets flying past me, gang bangers and all that. But wild animals? No. That ain’t for me.”
The car provides a roof, of a sort, over Thomas’ head, but the heater doesn’t work. For that, he relies on a single-burner countertop stove he bought from Walmart.
His car holds his wardrobe, sleeping bag and pillow, along with his other possessions. For electricity, Thomas visits a nearby car wash with an outside outlet, where he charges his phone and uses his microwave.
By the numbers
Between 2017 and 2022, the homeless population nationwide rose 6% to nearly 600,000, according to a report from the National Alliance to End Homelessness. Roughly 1,200 of those live in Mississippi.
The Golden Triangle Regional Homeless Coalition has helped connect 133 people in Lowndes, Oktibbeha and Clay counties with permanent housing this year alone, organization president Susan Garton told The Dispatch, with requests for assistance reaching one to two per day.
Still, even Garton notes more homeless people in Columbus living in the elements. Many the coalition has already housed, she said, but they lost their homes because of addiction or mental health issues.
“Even if we get them housing, they can’t keep it because they can’t pass a drug test, or they can’t even pass the drug test to qualify for housing and they refuse to go to rehab treatment, even though it’s free. Mississippi will pay for it,” Garton said. “(In cases of “life-affecting” mental illness) they lose housing because they won’t take their medication on time. Or when they do take it, they feel so good, they’re like, ‘Well, I don’t need it any more,’ and get off. Then it spirals out of control.”
Other times, it’s because they are laid off from their job “or they just aren’t making enough money to pay their bills.”
‘Trying to do it the right way’
Thomas’ situation is a little different.
The 40-year-old said he’s spent 22 of those years behind bars, first in Texas and most recently in Arizona, on drug trafficking convictions. When he was released from prison earlier this year, he said his parole officer put up half of the $1,200 he needed to buy his car. Then he drove from Arizona to Columbus, where his aunt, sister and two children live.
None of his relatives have any space to house him, and he eventually found a place to park his car where he wouldn’t be bothered.
“I’ve been out of my kids’ lives for 13 years,” Thomas said. “Now I see them most weekends. … They don’t come over here. I go see them.”
Thomas works at a restaurant in Columbus, picking up extra shifts when he can, trying to earn enough to rent an apartment. Though he swears his criminal life is behind him, he’s learned not everyone believes him.
“I ain’t never had an apartment in my name,” Thomas said. “… I ain’t got no evictions. … I ain’t never did nothing with my credit, so I don’t know if it’s messed up or not. I just got a bank account for the first time.
“… People don’t want a drug dealer in their community,” he added. “Of course, I’m not a drug dealer anymore. I learned my lesson. I’m trying to do it the right way this time.”
He’s reached out to the Homeless Coalition for help through Facebook Messenger. So far, that’s gotten him two nights in a hotel and a spot on a housing waiting list.
“I keep running into obstacles, but it will pan out,” he said.
Getting help
The Homeless Coalition works primarily with a program funded through the Jackson-based Mississippi Home Corporation, Garton said.
Applicants are assigned a social worker and can be housed anywhere in the state. If housed, the program pays for rental and utility deposits, as well as the first month’s rent.
“Within 30 days, you’re generally housed,” Garton said of accepted applications.
But any housing program works on a point system. Employment or receiving government assistance works in an applicant’s favor, Garton said, while mothers with children can be expedited through the local housing authority and applicants with disabilities can best qualify for Section 8 (low-income) units.
“Depending on your situation, and what housing program you qualify for, that’s where I step in,” Garton said. “I help you navigate applications, I help you talk to your case workers … and I help you get as many points as you possibly can.”
In emergencies, the coalition – funded through grants and private donations – can help with temporary housing, Garton said, but most go to the homeless shelter in Tupelo while they await a more permanent solution.
The coalition also is bolstering available units to residents of Lowndes County by building a 10-unit tiny home village on Airline Road. A few units should be largely complete by spring, Garton said.
Once someone is housed, Garton said it’s that person’s responsibility to maintain their part of the rental agreement. If they are evicted, the coalition cannot attempt to rehouse them for at least three years.
Some applicants, however, don’t get that far. Those with drug addictions must first complete rehab and provide a recommendation from a doctor before being housed.
“(Some) people want help, but they want it under their terms,” she said.
A happy ending?
Julian Brooks, 51, wandered through downtown Nov. 10 looking for food, money or just a place indoors to lay down for a bit.
The Artesia native and former sanitation worker has been in and out of prison since 2016 for forging checks and violating probation. He told The Dispatch he struggles with drug addiction.
“I have three children out there, who I’ve never seen since (2019), and I’ve never been able to help out because my body just won’t allow me to be what I want to be,” Brooks said.
He said he was kicked out of an apartment complex in August and has been out on the street since.
“It feels good sleeping outside when the wind blows,” Brooks said. “They used to do this way back in the day, sleeping on the ground. But I’ve been run out of so many people’s backyards. I’ve been run out of so many houses and buildings. I’ve been run out so much.”
Brooks connected with the Homeless Coalition, Garton said. He’s been assessed and assigned a housing coordinator.
“Whether he is complying with them, I don’t know that yet,” Garton said.
Thomas’ story, on the other hand, looks to be headed in a more definite direction. Garton said she “pulled some strings” with his application, and she believes he will have housing within the next two weeks. Since his job is in Columbus, he will remain in his car until then, rather than going to Tupelo.
“I know the system works,” Garton said. “Sometimes it’s a little slower.”
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