Things got heated and shouting matches ensued during a vote of the Jackson City Council on Tuesday that authorized the City of Jackson to enter into a nearly $2.9 million contract to build a 60-unit tiny home village in West Jackson for the city’s homeless population.
The contentious, nearly 1-hour long debate, which saw council members yelling at each other and council members yelling at Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba, was followed by a 4-3 vote that approved $2.9 million from the city to help start the project.
Ward 2 Councilwoman Angelique Lee, Ward 4 Councilman Brian Grizzell, Ward 6 Councilman Aaron Banks and Ward 7 Councilwoman Virgi Lindsay voted in favor of the project. Ward 1 Councilman Ashby Foote, Ward 3 Councilman Kenneth Stokes and Ward 5 Councilman Vernon Hartley voted against the measure.
Always West Jackson: West Jackson residents question why homeless facilities are always proposed in that area
The project is called “Safe Place, Safe Space” and will be undertaken by the Jackson Resource Center, a nonprofit that services homeless people, and will be built on 18-acres of abandoned property on Capers Avenue.