Jackson, MS, expected $3.1M match for Homeward JXN. State agency disagrees

Jackson officials are searching for another $5 million to fully fund the city's new homelessness rehousing initiative after the city learned it would not receive the full funding contribution it had anticipated from the Mississippi Home Corporation.

Mayor John Horhn told the Jackson City Council Tuesday, Oct. 20 that the city had committed about $3.1 million in HOME American Rescue Plan Act funds to Homeward JXN and expected the Mississippi Home Corporation to provide a matching $3.1 million.

"So, we're at around $5 million. We've got to raise another $5 million to make this program work," Horhn said. "We are doing outreach right now to the business community, the foundation community, to see if we can come up with the rest of the money."

But the Mississippi Home Corporation, a state-created housing finance agency, said it notified city officials more than a month ago that it could not fulfill the entire request.

In a statement to the Clarion Ledger sent via email on Wednesday, Oct. 21, MHC Vice President of Communications Rivers Aultman said the city has applied for $3.1 million in HOME-ARP funding for supportive services and tenant-based rental assistance through Homeward JXN, but the application remains under review and no funding recommendations have been made.

Aultman said MHC representatives met with Jackson officials on Sept. 18 and explained that the maximum grant amounts available through the two eligible programs total $750,000, including up to $500,000 for supportive services and up to $250,000 for tenant-based rental assistance.

"While MHC could not fulfill the entire $3.1 million request, MHC would consider committing to the full amount in principle and approve grants in increments meeting the maximums of each eligible activity, or $750,000," Aultman said.

She added that those grants would be reimbursable, meaning the city or Homeward JXN would first perform the work and then seek reimbursement from MHC rather than receiving the money upfront.

Even so, Horhn said Tuesday that the program has already begun, with four people enrolled through the initiative.

Angela Brown, Jackson's director of the Department of Planning and Development, has previously described Homeward JXN as a housing-first strategy that aims to move people living in homeless encampments into stable housing and connect them with long-term support services.

The initiative is designed to house 300 chronically homeless individuals over the next two years while helping another 1,100 people who experience a temporary housing crisis return to housing.

Participants can receive up to 12 months of rental assistance while case managers connect them with services related to employment, mental health, substance abuse and other barriers to housing stability. More than 90% of the program's projected budget is expected to go toward rental assistance, case management, staffing and supportive services, according to previous statements from city officials and community partners.

The topic surfaced Tuesday while council members were discussing the Jackson Fire Department's continued battle against vacant house fires.

Fire Chief RaSean Thomas told council members that roughly 70% of those fires are caused by homeless individuals seeking shelter.

The comments echoed concerns Thomas has raised previously. Earlier this year, a Clarion Ledger analysis of Jackson Fire Department records found firefighters responded to 260 building fires in 2025, an average of one every 34 hours. More than half occurred in Wards 5, 6 and 7, areas with high concentrations of vacant properties and housing instability.

Thomas previously told the Clarion Ledger that vacant structures account for the vast majority of building fires in Jackson and that many are linked to homelessness, mental illness and substance abuse.

The discussion prompted Horhn to highlight another objective of Homeward JXN: dismantling encampments after residents are moved into housing.

"It's not going to work if we don't take these encampments out," he said. "So, we're going to have to rely pretty heavily on our public safety folks."

Officials estimate Homeward JXN will cost about $10 million, while the city currently has commitments totaling roughly half that amount.

At the end of the day Thursday, the City of Jackson sent out a press release clarifying Horhn’s comments he made at the council meeting:

“At Mayor John Horhn’s request, the City of Jackson has received clarification that Mississippi Home Corporation remains committed to providing $3.1 million in HOME-ARP funding to match the $3.1 million already committed to Homeward JXN.”

“Mississippi Home Corporation’s additional $3.1 million will be provided in four installments of approximately $775,000 on a cost-reimbursement basis, rather than as a single upfront payment. The City will pay for eligible services and submit supporting documentation for review and reimbursement. As reimbursements are approved, the City will continue providing services and submitting documentation for subsequent installments.”

“The combined $6.2 million will allow for full implementation of Homeward JXN while the remaining $3.8 million is raised over the next two years.”

Charlie Drape, the Jackson beat reporter, has covered all meetings of the Jackson City Council since 2023. He can be reached at [email protected].