Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Homelessness Cdbg topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Speakers urge council to use CDBG funds and vacant property for homeless services
Summary
Public commenters urged the city to include emergency homeless housing in its CDBG plan and to consider vacant buildings or eminent domain for shelter sites; speakers said the city has lacked a dedicated shelter since 2005.
Speakers during the public forum urged the Gulfport City Council to use Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds and available vacant buildings to address homelessness, saying the city has lacked a dedicated shelter site since 2005.
Patricia Batiste, a long‑time Gulfport resident, told the council that a Salvation Army shelter on 20 Fourth Avenue was not permitted to rebuild after 2005 and that the current Hope Center does not meet local needs. “The problem, the answer to the problem lies within the CDBG funds,” Batiste said, urging the council to include emergency homeless housing in its HUD‑required CDBG plan.
Batiste said HUD permits use of CDBG funds for emergency homeless housing if the city places it in the plan; she recommended considering abandoned buildings, warehouses, or other sites and noted eminent‑domain options for unoccupied properties if political will exists.
The council did not take action on the request at the meeting; speakers asked council members to prioritize planning and to include homeless services in future grant plans and budgets.
