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Resident urges Tupelo officials to treat homelessness as social issue, not a crime
Summary
Melvin Foster, a Tupelo resident who recently returned after a career in New York City finance, urged the council to address homelessness through services and housing rather than criminalization, citing local shelter dynamics and an outreach breakfast at All Saints.
Tupelo — Melvin Foster, a resident who said he returned to Tupelo after a long career in New York City, told the Tupelo City Council that the city should address homelessness through services, not criminal penalties.
Foster told the council he worked with homeless populations while living in New York and that he volunteers with an outreach breakfast at All Saints called St. Brew, which he said serves “about 40 to 50 people every day.” He urged the council to avoid criminalizing homelessness as state…
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