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Eric J. Shelton, Mississippi Today/ Report for America

Downtown Clarksdale.

CLARKSDALE — A battle is brewing between a local nonprofit owner hoping to help the town’s homeless community and residents who don’t have an issue with that, as long as it happens in another neighborhood.

Clarksdale resident and business owner Brenda Fields purchased a building in the downtown area about three months ago to open a homeless shelter. Recently, the City of Clarksdale voted to give $10,000 to assist in the effort, making the dream she’s had for two years closer to a reality, she said. No money has been disbursed yet.

Aallyah Wright, Mississippi Today

Brenda Fields of The Change Place and supporters address the board of mayor and commissioners at a September 14 board meeting

After she bought the building, Fields received backlash from community members who created a petition that garnered 145 signatures in opposition of the shelter for fear of panhandling and safety, a community representative said at a mayor and commissioners board meeting on Monday.

Fields, owner of The Change Place, said she didn’t get a chance to speak directly with community members before the petition circulated. The Change Place is a nonprofit focused on rehabilitation and helping homeless people, she said.

“The petition came and we just stopped everything until we get everything resolved,” she said.

The petition won’t stop the city from gifting The Change Place with funds for the facility, but it could cause commissioners to sway their vote on the location of the shelter.

City of Clarksdale

Ward 2 Commissioner Ken Murphy

Commissioner Ken Murphy, who oversees the ward where the potential shelter would be, said he would be in support of what his constituents want.

“Personally I think another location is what I’m supporting with my constituents but (I) also understand the need for a homeless shelter in this city,” Murphy said. “These are things we don’t like to have to vote on … we don’t want to vote on this in a negative way.”

Once the building was purchased, Brandon Thomas, the community representative for Ward 2, told Mississippi Today the downtown residents immediately created a petition to move the shelter elsewhere.

Fields purchased the building before going to the city commissioners with her plans to open a shelter.

City of Clarksdale

Ward 1 Commissioner Bo Plunk

“The idea is great,” said Bo Plunk, Ward 1 commissioner. “Before you spent $1, you should’ve done your homework or went to the mayor or anyone in city council to say here’s my idea … you already put yourself behind the eight ball buying the building.”

In January 2019, the most recent data available, 1,184 people in Mississippi were experiencing homelessness on any given day and nearly 10,000 students were homeless at some point in the school year, according to data from the Continuums of Care to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

The average renter in Coahoma County is estimated to earn $10.25-an-hour, but a person living there would have to earn $12.63-an-hour to afford the average two-bedroom apartment without spending more than 30% of their income on housing, according to the National Low Income Housing Coalition’s 2020 Out of Reach report. Coahoma County is covered by Mississippi United to End Homelessness, which received several million in CARES funding to operate a rental assistance program for people impacted by the virus.

Over a decade ago, Clarksdale tried to establish a homeless shelter in a different neighborhood, and residents fought against the decision then, too, said Ward 4 Commissioner Ed Seals. On Monday, the commissioners agreed there is a need for a homeless shelter in the area, but insisted Fields and the residents resolve the issue amongst themselves.

Clarksdale city attorney Melvin Miller said if the process moves forward with the same location, the nonprofit must publicly post a sign outside of the location notifying residents the planning commission will consider a conditional use or rezoning per city law. The planning commission will make a recommendation and then the board of mayor and commissioners will vote for or against the proposed recommendation. There must be a hearing on the matter.

Anna Wolfe contributed to this story.

The post Clarksdale pledged $10,000 for a homeless facility downtown. Residents want it elsewhere. appeared first on Mississippi Today.

Fifteen years ago, Katrina roared ashore and forever altered the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Record storm surge obliterated homes, businesses, casinos, hotels and lives. Since then, the Coast has come back stronger. Now it is being tested by Hurricane Sally — which is no Katrina but is a unique threat of its own. Will the new construction hold? I sure hope so.

The post Marshall Ramsey: Prepared for the Wolf appeared first on Mississippi Today.

Eric J. Shelton/Mississippi Today, Report For America

Gov. Tate Reeves speaks to media about his shelter-in-place order for Lauderdale County during a press conference at the State of Mississippi Woolfolk Building in Jackson, Miss., Tuesday, March 31, 2020.

After more than three months, Gov. Tate Reeves’ office is seeking applications for a portion of a $34.6 million pot of federal COVID-19 relief funds for education — well after most other states have awarded their funds.

The federal government awarded Mississippi its emergency money June 1, but Reeves’ office only issued its funding priorities and request for proposals for $23 million of those funds last week.

Most states — and all of those in the deep South excluding Mississippi and Tennessee — have already submitted their initial 45-day reports detailing how the funds are being spent. Florida, for example, used part of the funds to award “summer recovery grants” to school districts in July.

But despite being approved for funding by the federal government on June 1, a request for proposals went out Sept. 10. The deadline for schools and other eligible groups to apply for the funds is Sept. 24.

Renae Eze, communications director for Reeves, said the next portion of the request for proposals will be released as soon as the current funds are awarded. The deadline for funds to be awarded from the governor’s office is by June 1, 2021.

Requests for comment from Reeves’ office about specifics of the $23 million were not returned by press time.

If not enough quality proposals are accepted, the remaining funds will be made available as part of a second request titled “Innovative Educational Solutions,” according to a letter from Holly Spivey, Reeves’ education policy advisor and Head Start Collaboration Director.

The money, called the Governor’s Emergency Education Relief (GEER) Fund, is part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act passed in March. The CARES Act contains one category of funding called the Education Stabilization Fund, which then breaks down into further categories that include the GEER Fund. Other pots of this education money are managed by the Mississippi Department of Education and colleges and universities directly, while the governor’s funds are to be disbursed at Reeves’ discretion.

READ MORE: Mississippi to receive millions in education CARES Act funds

The U.S. Department of Education announced the nearly $3 billion in GEER funds in April to “quickly be made available to governors to ensure education continues for students of all ages impacted by the coronavirus national emergency,” a press release from the U.S. Department of Education stated.

The purpose is to provide relief to schools the state education agency identifies as having been most significantly impacted by COVID-19. It may also go to colleges and universities in need.

The funds are also designed to support any other school or “education-related entity,” defined as a governmental, non-profit or for-profit entity within the state that provides services that support preschool and K-12 education, that the governor deems as needing support.

Reeves outlined two priorities for the first category of funding. The first focuses on educational services for children under 5 years old, and the second on school-aged children.

Day cares and other child care organizations can apply for funds to help provide full or part-time care and education for children in that age group who are in foster care, or whose parents have lost access to their regular child care arrangements, cannot afford child care or are experiencing negative job impacts from a lack of access to childcare.

Parents and existing care providers may also apply if they will use the money toward improving young children’s quality of care and education. This may mean providing programs, training or technical assistance; providing health and safety equipment or supplies paired with training; building the long-term capacity of care providers to offer quality services; or supporting the coordination of care, education, and health-related services for children under 5-years-old.

Parents and other caregivers may also apply to improve the quality of care and education for young children by providing access to programs, training or technical assistance; providing health and safety equipment for supplies and training; building the long-term capacity of care providers to offer quality services; and supporting the coordination of care, education and health-related services for young children.

The second priority is for education services for school-age children, including those with diagnosed developmental delays or other disabilities. These services must include providing school-day or work-day care to children who are in foster care or whose parents are essential workers, have lost access to child care or are at risk of losing their job or other negative impacts related to a lack of child care.

State Superintendent of Education Carey Wright and Mississippi State Board of Education Chairman Jason Dean have been “in regular communication” with Reeves’ office about the state education department’s priorities to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on public education, according to a statement from the Mississippi Department of Education (MDE).

“The MDE is in agreement with plans for the Governor’s Emergency Education Response (GEER) Fund, which prioritizes childcare from birth to age 5, services for school-age children with disabilities and innovation strategies for distance learning,” said Jean Cook, a spokeswoman for the MDE.

Once schools, day cares and other educational organizations receive their share, they have until September of 2022 to obligate the money. However, guidance from the U.S. Department of Education urges recipients of the grant “to deploy GEER funds quickly.”

The post Lagging behind other states, Reeves makes $23 million in education relief funds available appeared first on Mississippi Today.

As we continue to provide the latest on Hurricane Sally in Mississippi, stay up-to-date with photos of the Mississippi Gulf Coast and its residents preparing for the storm to make landfall.

LATEST: Check National Hurricane Center for latest forecasts.

The post Photo gallery: Hurricane Sally appeared first on Mississippi Today.

Eric J. Shelton/Mississippi Today

Masks are worn as hand sanitizer is distributed at Corner Market on Fortification Street in Jackson, Miss., Wednesday, April 8, 2020.

Mississippians will be expected to mask up through September.

Gov. Tate Reeves said Monday he has extended an executive order mandating the wearing of masks in public places in an effort to curb the COVID-19 pandemic. The executive order was scheduled to expire Monday morning, but now expires on Sept. 30 at 5 p.m.

Reeves reported 145 new cases of COVID-19 and nine new deaths Monday. He said the number of new deaths was “the lowest in recent memory.” Reeves said for the first time in weeks, the seven day total new cases had dipped to below 3,000. It peaked at more than 9,000 in late July.

“According to the White House, we are no longer in the red zone,” Reeves said.  “I simply want everyone to understand now is not the time to let your guard down….We want people to continue to wear your mask. We want people to continue to social distance.”

While the mask mandate remains in effect, Reeves did ease restrictions on restaurants and other retail establishments. For instance, the capacity at restaurants has been increased from 50% of normal maximum capacity to 75%.

According to the AARP, Mississippi is among the 34 states that still have mask mandates. Mississippi’s contiguous states of Alabama, Louisiana and Arkansas have mask mandates.

Reeves imposed the mask mandate in early August, making it the last of the 34 states to impose a statewide mandate.

The post Reeves extends statewide mask mandate to Sept. 30 appeared first on Mississippi Today.

Tim Isbell for Mississippi Today

Hurricane warning flags flap in the breeze at Jones Park in Gulfport on Monday morning. (Photo: Tim Isbell for Mississippi Today)

Gulf Coast residents are preparing for what forecasters believe will soon be Hurricane Sally to hit Mississippi directly, bringing “life-threatening storm surge,” hurricane-force winds, and up to two feet of rainfall between now and Wednesday.

As of Monday morning, Sally is expected to make landfall in Mississippi as a Category 1 or Category 2 hurricane. It will likely dump up to 25 inches of rain in parts of Mississippi, and it will likely produce tornadoes and high wind gusts. Hurricane conditions in Mississippi are expected to begin Monday night ahead of a Tuesday landfall.

During a briefing Monday morning, Gov. Tate Reeves said the projection for the path of the slow moving storm had shifted eastward, placing landfall near Biloxi in Harrison County instead of in Louisiana. Under current projections, it is expected to make landfall around 2 a.m. Wednesday and continue to move  northeast, meaning it could be exiting Mississippi quickly, but could still have major impacts on the Gulf Coast and in southeast Mississippi.

Reeves said the storm could have sustained winds of 90 miles per hour or higher and storm surges on the Coast of as much as 9 feet.

Local officials issued mandatory evacuations for parts of Hancock County on Sunday, and officials in all three counties along the Gulf Coast warned residents to plan for extended power outages and flash flooding in addition to the coastal flooding that is expected.

“While this storm has ticked to the east overnight, it is anticipated that we are going to bear the brunt of this storm,” Reeves said on Monday morning. “Be prepared for the worst-case scenario. With this storm slowing, it could get worse before it gets better.”

LATEST: Check National Hurricane Center for latest forecasts.

In Waveland on Monday morning, storm surge during high tide had already flooded parts of Beach Boulevard. Residents along the Coast on Monday began boarding up windows and placing sandbags around their property, and boaters along the Coast scrambled to remove their boats from the water to higher ground.

The storm, which is slower moving than many tropical systems, is expected to drop up to two feet of rainfall even far inland. Local officials as far north as Hattiesburg are prepping for potentially devastating flash flooding.

MORE PHOTOS: View our full photo gallery

The post ‘Be prepared for worst-case scenario’: Mississippi braces for Hurricane Sally appeared first on Mississippi Today.