Biloxi mayor has a new idea for helping the homeless

Mayor Andrew “FoFo” Gilich said Friday he will ask the City Council to lease the empty Beauvoir Elementary School to provide a shelter and services for the homeless.

Gilich said in a press release that he is not looking to have a shelter at the site, but the resolution on the council agenda for Tuesday’s meeting says it will be used for a shelter.

“Right now, we have a tapestry of services available for the homeless, but we envision a centralized, coordinated effort that makes the best use of available grants and programs,” he said. “That’s what this is about.”

The center would link homeless individuals and families with available services, such as mental health or substance abuse, according to the press release.

Under the proposal, the city will enter a 30-year lease of the building from the Biloxi School District with an option to renew the lease for another 30 years. The city will pay $10 cash, along with all maintenance, repairs and insurance.

Gerald Blessey is the city’s special counsel for the proposal to build the center for homeless families, veterans and others at the former school on 17.5 acres at 2003 Lawrence Ave. The empty building is in a residential neighborhood off Pass Road, with homes and apartments nearby.

If the resolution passes, the administration will determine the cost of renovations and an annual operating budget for the next fiscal year, beginning Oct. 1.

The city was honored in Washington, D.C., last year for its partnership to identify homeless veterans and connect them with services.

Gilich estimates Biloxi has as many as 400 homeless people.

“This issue is not going away,” he said, “and it’s not a problem that the police can or should solve. I believe that we have a responsibility to make sure that we are making the most of the available resources. Our goal is for homelessness to be a temporary situation in Biloxi.”

The meeting is at 6 p.m. Tuesday at City Hall. Also on the agenda is an executive session to discuss money the state owes the city for the Golden Nugget lease of city property and for potential issues with CSX Railway.

This story was originally published May 8, 2017 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Biloxi mayor has a new idea for helping the homeless."