The city of Jackson is looking for “compassionate and sustainable solutions” to homelessness and hopes to find those answers soon through a new task force announced Monday by Mayor John Horhn.
The Unhoused Task Force is made up of a group of advocates, business leaders, and community experts. The 16 members are being asked to develop actionable strategies to address homelessness and panhandling across the capital city.
“Homelessness impacts every corner of our community, from our downtown business corridors to our neighborhoods,” Horhn said. “Through this task force, we’re bringing together people who understand the complexity of this issue from every angle, advocates, service providers, and policy experts, to help us design solutions rooted in dignity and opportunity.”
The task force is co-chaired by Melvin Stamps and Jill Buckley. Stamps is the planning director for Continuum of Care, a nonprofit dedicated to providing services to homeless individuals and those at risk of becoming homeless. Buckley is the executive director of Stewpot Community Services, which offers food, clothing, and shelter to people experiencing homelessness.
According to both, the goal of the task force will be producing a blueprint full of recommendations on how to enhance coordination among service providers, identifying long-term housing solutions, and improving outreach and safety for both housed and unhoused residents. Recommendations will then be turned over to Horhn and the Jackson City Council for potential implementation.
“Addressing homelessness requires a unified approach that goes beyond temporary support,” Stamps said. “Our goal is to help the city align resources, remove barriers, and strengthen partnerships that lead to permanent housing stability for Jackson residents.”
“Every person in Jackson deserves to live with security and self-respect,” Buckley added. “This task force represents a commitment to listening, learning, and building a community response that offers real paths to housing and hope.”
The Unhoused Task Force will begin meeting later this month with recommendations expected to be turned in to Horhn by early 2026. Some of the focuses will be housing access, workforce reentry, and panhandling reduction strategies that prioritize human-centered outcomes, according to the announcement.
The full task force and who they represent is as follows:
- Melvin Stamps, Continuum of Care (Co-chair)
- Jill Buckley, Stewpot Community Services (Co-chair)
- Liz Brister, Downtown Jackson Partners
- Pat Bennett, Mississippi College School of Law
- Grace Greene, The Net, MDOC Satellite Facility Mentor
- Ledger Parker, Mississippi United To End Homelessness
- Patricia Reese, Mayoral Transition Team
- Putalamus White, Jackson Resource Center
- Tiffany Jones, Jackson Public Schools
- Wendy Bailey, Mississippi Department of Human Services
- Tamara Stewart, Mississippi Home Corporation
- Stacey Howard, Grace House
- Stuart Tirey, Central Mississippi Realtors
- Merrill McKewen, Habitat for Humanity
- Tim Collins, Mississippi Housing Partnership
- Sanetria Moore, Hinds Behavioral Health Services
The creation of the task force comes just months after a law went into effect, giving municipalities the option to require permits for panhandling. Jackson has not opted out of the law but has yet to implement its own system.