With winter on the way, the Jackson City Council is considering ways to alleviate housing issues for people experiencing homelessness.
At a meeting this week, the city council took the first steps toward what might become a two-pronged approach to shelter the unhoused in Jackson.
City spokesman Aaron Dimick says the city manager and staff are being asked to study the possibility of placing people in unoccupied rooms in hotels and motels.
“But of course, that would hinge on the space being available,” Dimick said. “And recognizing what kind of funds we have at the city to do that.”
Another solution may lie in the possible purchase of the shuttered T.A. Wilson Academy from the Jackson school district, and turning it into longer-term housing.
Dimick stresses that officials need a better understanding of the numbers.
“Work with our various partners who work in social services or work with shelters, and work with the unhoused population, really get an idea of how much we’re going to need to help this issue.”