Gulfport grants $1 million for homeless resource center. Is a shelter included?
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- Gulfport allocates $1,051,866 in CARES funds to a Homeless Resource Center.
- Center will provide showers, laundry, clinic, computers and casework space.
- No emergency shelter included; goal is housing navigation and service coordination.
The city of Gulfport will use about a $1 million in federal funding for a center that will provide services to the homeless, including laundry, showers, computers for job searches, phones and office space for case work.
The Coast is without a homeless shelter, but the Homeless Resource Center will not include one. Instead, Gulfport joins the city of Biloxi in providing services designed to transition clients into housing, Catholic Social Services operates the Biloxi center.
Gulfport awarded the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act funds to the South Mississippi Housing Authority, which submitted the highest-scoring proposal for a project, a city news release says. The funds are targeted to homeless and special-needs populations affected by the pandemic.
The center, which should be completed in June 2026, will be at South Mississippi Regional Housing headquarters on Three Rivers Road.
“This investment represents our commitment to supporting our most vulnerable neighbors with dignity and comprehensive care,” Mayor Hugh D. Keating said in the news release. “The Homeless Resource Center will provide essential services under one roof, making it easier for individuals experiencing homelessness to access the resources they need to stabilize their lives and move toward permanent housing.”
Multiple agencies serving the homeless will collaborate on services at the center, including Open Doors Homeless Coalition, Gulf Coast Center for Non-Violence, Back Bay Mission and the Mental Health Association of South Mississippi.
The Homeless Resource Center is meant to meet the basic needs of homeless residents and help them find stability, the city’s news release says.
The center will provide the following services:
• A health clinic.
• Showers and laundry room.
• Secure lockers for personal belongings.
• Private office and meeting space for case work and service delivery.
• Housing navigation services and job referrals.
• Warming kitchen for meal distribution.
• Communication center with phones and computers.
• Mail kiosk and document retrieval assistance.
• Community garden in partnership with the Mississippi State University extension office.
• And a dedicated passenger vehicle for service delivery.
“This Resource Center is the culmination of two decades of work by our regional homeless services providers,” Justin D. Brooks, executive director of the South Mississippi Housing Authority & Development Corp., said in the news release.
“It represents a proportional, appropriate, and caring response to the challenge of homelessness in Coastal Mississippi. We are proud to be a conduit to connect our vulnerable populations to the resources they need to stay healthy, become more self-sufficient and access basic services that we often take for granted.”
This story was originally published October 21, 2025 at 10:41 AM.
