LaReeca Rucker
The Clarion-Ledger
From the archives Nov. 17, 2010
Around 12,000 Mississippi children and youth are homeless, the National Center on Family Homelessness reports.
“The numbers have increased as the economy has been hurting more and more over the past few years,” Christina Murphy, director of the center’s Campaign to End Child Homeless, said.
The group will offer recommendations today on ways to combat homelessness among children.
About 1.5 million U.S. children are homeless, according to a 2009 report by the group.
“When we released this report last year, we specifically launched a campaign in Mississippi to address the problem and come up with some solutions,” Murphy said because of the state’s ranking.
Out of the 50 states, Mississippi ranked 41st.
The Mississippi campaign hopes to increase public awareness, improve state and local policies to address issues, and work with programs to make sure children and families get the best possible service.
The report also revealed nearly a third of all the homeless are families.
Murphy said making sure children have adequate and stable housing will benefit the entire family.
She said parents also need job training and educational opportunities, as well as access to health care, insurance, affordable childcare and the ability to make a living wage.
In order to afford a two-bedroom apartment in Mississippi, a person must earn around $12.74 an hour, Murphy said.
“That’s significantly higher than the minimum wage,” she said. “Parents have a challenge affording homes. We have talked to a lot of folks in Mississippi who are living in unsafe and substandard housing.”
Murphy said, until now, there hasn’t been a coordinated effort in Mississippi to talk about family homelessness and solutions.
“For the first time, there’s going to be a plan about what to do. We’re really hoping this plan will serve as a call to action to end this problem,” she said.
Tuwanna Williams, coordinator for the Mississippi Campaign to End Child Homelessness, has been meeting with key public officials and department agencies the last six months to talk about these issues.
She said domestic violence is one common reason for child and family homelessness.
“It’s a huge issue,” she said. “We are also partnering with the National Network to End Domestic Violence. They will be here doing workshops and making sure local shelters have resources.”
Williams said they need community input to effectively implement the recommendations.
Gwen Bouie-Haynes, project director of Catholic Charities Inc. Domestic Violence Services/Rape Crises Center, is an advisory board member for the Mississippi Campaign to End Child Homelessness.
“I’ve been involved in helping to focus the goals and objectives of the Mississippi plan,” said Bouie-Haynes, who brings a social service perspective, having worked with children who are domestic violence witnesses.
“Domestic violence is really a primary factor in homelessness,” she said. “It is absolutely essential that we develop a safety net of advocacy, funding and resources for homeless families and children. We, as a community and state, simply cannot afford to not coordinate our efforts for some of the most vulnerable people in our society.
“Now we have a more defined process in place to work from in terms of recommendations that will prevent child and family homelessness.”