As cold as the January weather has been, the December warm weather was more extreme.
The recent lows in the mid teens don’t even come close to breaking any records for those dates, which are around five degrees. Whereas the highs in December were in the top five ever for those dates when the highs reached 77 degrees.
On average for the year, Mississippi temperatures are an ideal 68 degrees, but we definitely have some variation. Just toward the end of winter, I forget the heavy summer bake and start longing for warmth.
It’s the same at the end of summer, when I forget the January freeze and start longing for cooler weather.
My son John and I were coming back from an Indian dinner at Spice Avenue last weekend when temperatures hit the teens. We decided to drive around looking for homeless people who we could help.
We found Calvin under the Canton Mart underpass with a grocery cart full of stuff. Calvin was happy to see us and smiled broadly and began talking rapidly about Enoch in the Bible. He asked us if we were from Shower Power, a local non-profit that helps homeless people.
“Calvin, it’s 15 degrees and getting colder. Come with us where we have a warm place where you can stay,” I said.
“No. no” he said, “I have all my things. I’ll be fine but thank you.” He pointed toward his thick heavy blanket on the ground.
He mainly wanted to talk. His mind was racing with thoughts. He peppered us with questions followed by life advice. After a while, I started getting cold. We asked again if he would be okay. No problem, he said, and we reluctantly left.
Earlier this week I heard Nick Spradley, the director of Shower Power, speak to the Rotary Club of North Jackson.
Shower Power was started by Teresa Renkenberger as a mobile shower station for the homeless but has expanded to providing homeless people shelter, especially during severe cold. You can donate by going to their website showerpower.ms.
There are many other non-profits helping the homeless such as Stewpot, the Salvation Army and many of our churches.
Many of the homeless are struggling with addiction or mental illness. That’s why they're homeless. It’s not rational to be homeless. Often, they don’t want to be taken somewhere, just like Calvin.
I asked Spradley if he thought the government should have some sort of homeless facility or homeless program. Definitely, he said.
Sun reporter Nell Luter Floyd recently reported on a new Jackson homeless initiative. Liz Brister, director of Downtown Jackson Partners, is getting the City of Jackson to contract with Clutch Consulting Group to propose some solutions to the homeless situation.
Clutch Consulting Group is known for its work in Houston, Texas, which it reports resulted in a 60 percent drop in unsheltered homelessness that has been sustained for more than a decade.
Based in Houston, Clutch is known for advising cities on how to use federal funding to provide housing for people experiencing unsheltered homelessness.
Federal funds are used to lease apartments for 12 months and pay utility bills for people who need housing, Brister said, but it doesn’t stop there.
“They also ensure wrap-around services are in place so that individuals who are rehoused receive mental health, and substance abuse services, if needed, and get help reuniting with their families,” she said.
The goal is for individuals who receive housing to be able to find jobs, pay their own rent and be self-sustaining.
Clutch has already done an initial assessment of Jackson, and a rapid rehousing initiative for three years could be implemented at a cost of $400,000 to $1 million, she said.
“The team at Clutch has said they feel like with the size of Jackson and the resources available it would cost $400,000,” Brister said.
Federal, state, local and private donations would be needed to support the work, she said. Jackson Mayor John Horhn has created a homeless task force to pursue this.
Personally, I envision a place that homeless people can be taken where they can get shelter and food and support. It would be free. They could come and go as they please. That is far less expensive and more humane than taking them to jail. Making that happen doesn’t seem outside the realm of possibility.
The next morning after our attempt to house Calvin, my son John, inspired by our previous night’s efforts, headed out early on his own. That’s how I woke up to find a young man in my kitchen.
This man was young and talked clearly. He told me he was stuck here coming for a funeral of his friend who died in a car accident. He needed money for a bus ticket back to Monroe, Louisiana.
“How much is the bus ticket,” I asked. “A hundred and fifty dollars,” he responded.
Now that didn’t seem right. Plus he had a late model cell phone. I quickly Googled the bus fare from Jackson to Monroe. It’s $25. Hmmm.
Turns out my daughter Ruth left me some swag from her summer job at the Yellowstone Club in Montana, where you need a net worth of a billion or so to join. It didn’t fit so I gave it to the guy. John, who has a big heart, gave him $35 of his hard-earned money and took him to the Kroger.
So somewhere out there is a homeless person wearing swag from the billion dollar Yellowstone Club. Life can be ironic.
People wonder why I live in Jackson. I live here because I have always loved the mystery and excitement of the city. That’s why homeless people are attracted to cities.
There’s some positive news for Jackson. The murder rate is down from 140 in 2022 to 75 in 2025. Kane Ditto is turning 206 W. Capitol into a boutique book store. Upscale Prado Lofts is coming to the old McRae’s building at Meadowbrook and State. Old office space is being converted to upscale urban residential living.
Last week, I was driving back from the Sun and saw where a car ran smack into a light pole at the intersection of Briarwood and I-55. Took out all the streetlights.
Within 36 hours, the lights were removed and then returned. Everything was fixed and up and running. That’s progress.
