Hattiesburg councilwoman Delgado raises concerns about conditions at Changes Resource Center

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Deborah Delgado, who represents Ward 2 on Hattiesburg City Council, is addressing concerns about conditions at the Changes Resource Center on West Pine Street, which provides resources and services to homeless individuals in the Hattiesburg area.

Delgado brought up the measure at the June 5 council work session, where she said the building is experiencing mold and mildew issues, caused by leaks over the last few years. Delgado said officials from the center have been reporting the issues, and they and her have been waiting on some improvements.

"I would venture to say that there's no sense of urgency because of who that establishment serves, and that's terrible," she said. "It's not a shelter – it's a resource center.

"However, if there are resources there they can use when they come in during the day, why isn't it such that they can use them?"

As an example of that, Delgado said the center has new washer and dryer machines that have been there since 2019, but have not been unpacked out of their boxes.

"Why can't they come in there and wash their clothes?" she said. "It's my understanding that the city wouldn't allow them to be connected."

Ann Jones, who serves as chief administrative officer for the City of Hattiesburg, said officials will immediately address the issues of the mold and mildew.

Delgado also expressed concerns about the number of people who were at the center during her last visit there.

"There were a lot of people there; I was just really surprised," she said. "We have two kind of day spots (for the homeless) – and there may be others – where people go, and it's (the center) and the Fieldhouse for the Homeless.

"There's just a lot of people in those places. They’re not (getting the services they need); they’re being referred to different agencies, but there is not a holistic approach to homelessness, in dealing with the issue of homelessness in our community."

The Changes Resource Center was announced in summer 2019, when officials purchased the former Courtesy Ford building on West Pine Street meant primarily for a maintenance site for Hattiesburg Police Department vehicles. But with an extra 9,000 square feet of heated and cooled space in the building, the city decided to use the site for the additional purpose of resources for the homeless.

That endeavor was made possible with the help of a $180,000 grant from the Department of Mental Health. The center, which is managed by Pine Belt Mental Healthcare Resources, will work with homeless individuals on matters such as job training, mental health issues, placement for community resources and facilitating access to housing.

In the interest of helping homeless individuals develop and maintain stable housing, the center was established with two main tasks in mind. The first goal is to increase individuals’ knowledge of community resources that already exist.

The second goal of the center is to help individuals with serious mental illness to develop an income stream, which allows them to afford and maintain their housing once it is procured. The center provides individual crisis planning, with officials working to remove any barriers faced by homeless individuals seeking resources.

https://www.hubcityspokes.com/local-content/hattiesburg-councilwoman-delgado-raises-concerns-about-conditions-changes-resource

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