Jonesboro officials set to unveil program to help the homeless

One of Jonesboro Mayor Harold Perrin’s goals has been to eliminate homelessness in the city. A new program, Helping Underserved Belong, HUB will be launched April 4 to help him accomplish this goal. HUB will be based inside the First Baptist Christian Activity Center on Union Street.

“We’re able to do this because of the great work of the task force, and this will serve some of the people who need it most in and around Jonesboro,” Perrin said.

Hub will focus on those who are ready to change their lives, according to organizers. The city has received a $94,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to be used to aid the program.

The program will offer many services to the homeless. Medical and dental referrals will be given, mental health assessments, mentoring, job readiness programs, financial literacy, budgeting, and other programs will also be offered.

Homelessness statistics are difficult to quantify in Northeast Arkansas. School districts in Craighead and Poinsett counties estimate there are about 700 homeless students among the eight school districts covered in those counties.

The Northeast Arkansas Coalition of Care did a 12-hour study in 2016, according to a report by KAIT. During that span, volunteers visited soup kitchens, food pantries, the Goodwill Center, public libraries, and other places the homeless are known to congregate. At least 140 homeless people were identified – a 25% jump from 2015 when the same experiment was performed.

Homelessness in the United States has been on the decline in recent years. In 2007, there were an estimated 647,258 people who experienced some form of homelessness, according to HUD, and of those more than 255,857 were unsheltered, meaning they were living on the streets. The total number had fallen to 549,928 by 2016, and the unsheltered number had dropped to 176,357 according to numbers released.

Economic conditions, mental health, drug and alcohol abuse are among the factors that lead to homelessness, according to HUD. More than half the homeless population in the U.S. reside in five states – California, New York, Texas, Florida, and Washington State.

Trained volunteers will man the HUB station. It will be open 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Tuesdays, and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Thursdays.

“Given the many needs facing our homeless population, the taskforce decided that a one-stop shop would be the most efficient and effective way to meet those needs,” said Jonesboro Community Services Manager Emma Agnew.