Residents urge Jacksonville council to act on homelessness, request local support and volunteer coalition

Several residents used the Nov. 18 public comment period to press the council for immediate and practical help for people experiencing homelessness.

Melanie Marzette described worsening conditions near New River and asked the city to consider short-term measures such as providing a place to store blankets and socks for distribution when volunteers encounter people in need. "Once it starts to get cold out there, not everybody can fit into that shelter... there has to be some type of remedy," she said.

Virginia Bryant Hill cited local counts and cost estimates for supporting identified homeless families, urged the council to appropriate discretionary funds for basic needs for a set of identifiable families, and asked the city to form a volunteer coalition of faith-based and nonprofit organizations to reach national standards for homeless youth support. Hill said local data indicate Onslow County currently has about 80 adults and 11 children identified in the homeless population and that basic needs for the six families she referenced would total $327,600.

The presiding officer acknowledged the comments and confirmed council members and staff have received emails and phone calls on these topics. Speakers asked the council to consider immediate resource allocation and to coordinate with nonprofit partners and volunteers to address cold-weather risks and fire hazards among unsheltered residents.

The council did not take immediate budget action at the meeting. Staff and council members encouraged continued dialogue with nonprofits and noted the need to return to the topic with specific proposals that identify funding sources and implementation steps.