03 Aug Gov. Reeves’ Decision to End Emergency Rental Assistance Program Is Outrageous and Heartless

Posted at August 03, 2022 in Press Release by

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 3, 2022

Contact: Carolyn Clendenin, comms-mcj@rabengroup.com, 347-869-7382

Gov. Reeves’ Decision to End Emergency Rental Assistance Program Is Outrageous and Heartless

Jackson, Miss. – Today, Gov. Tate Reeves announced that the state would stop processing applications for the Emergency Rental Assistance Program, which helps pay rent and utility bills. The program was created to help ensure people could keep their housing amid the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Vangela M. Wade, president and CEO of the Mississippi Center for Justice, issued the following statement: 

“This decision shows a complete disregard for people’s health and safety. Nearly one in three renter households in Mississippi is extremely low-income, and our state is short more than 48,000 affordable rental homes for extremely low-income renters. People are also struggling to make ends meet due to higher food and gas prices. And all the while, we’re actively battling a deadly pandemic that has already claimed the lives of more than 12,000 Mississippians. 

“But the Governor has decided to make housing even more precarious. Why? He claims this will push Mississippians into the job market and stop them from unnecessarily receiving taxpayer dollars. 

“That’s outrageous, heartless, and utterly devoid of any reason. Mississippians are working – and working hard. But our leaders keep depriving them of basic tools to survive, trapping them in an endless cycle of poverty. 

“It’s also deeply ironic that Gov. Reeves is decrying supposedly wasteful government spending. State leaders are currently embroiled in a scandal in which millions of dollars designated for the poor were instead funneled into luxury cars, sporting events, and cell phones. Every day, more information is uncovered about this nefarious scandal. 

“Our leaders should be helping lift people out of poverty, not entrenching it further.”

###

The Mississippi Center for Justice is dedicated to dismantling the state’s culture of inequity and injustice. Support and staffed by attorneys and other professionals, the Center pursues strategies to combat discrimination and poverty statewide.