Biloxi residents are raising concerns over a growing homeless population that has transformed a former school campus into a bustling tent city, raising safety and quality-of-life issues for the community.
Biloxi, Mississippi residents are grappling with a surge in homelessness that has turned their quiet neighborhood into a "highway for the homeless." A former school campus has become a sprawling tent city, housing over 100 individuals and raising concerns about safety, drug use, and mental illness.
Patrick Murphy, a suburban Biloxi resident, told "Fox & Friends First" that the homeless population has exploded in recent years. "We used to see maybe three or four transient homeless people in the neighborhood, but now there's well over 100," he said.
The Catholic Diocese of Biloxi, which owns the school grounds, has allowed the homeless to reside there for years. However, residents say the situation has spiraled out of control, with tents blocking sidewalks and streets, and children unable to play outside.
"We just lost our neighborhood," Murphy lamented. Residents have penned a three-page letter to the diocese expressing their concerns but have yet to receive a response.
Murphy explained that the crisis extends beyond a lack of shelter. "There is a mission that offers services about a block from us and then an old Catholic high school that is owned by the diocese is offering services, so we're kind of that little two blocks right between them…" he said.
Residents are concerned that the influx of homeless individuals has brought with it an increase in mental illness, poverty, and drug and alcohol abuse. They emphasize that they want to be part of the solution but believe the current situation is creating additional problems.
"It seems like the problem is getting worse, and it's getting worse for us, but, we're really looking for the solution and working together with everybody, here in the community that's a part of this project," Murphy said.
Residents are calling for more resources and collaboration to address the homelessness crisis. "Instead of just bombarding the little bit of a neighborhood that is here with the problem of the homeless, we have to do something about it. We have to get attention. They do need our help, but we have to be careful about how we do that because we're creating other problems," Murphy said.
Joyce Dunnell, another neighborhood resident, told local news that the homeless are approaching houses, looking in windows, and even asking for cigarettes or to use bathrooms. "I lost a renter after three years because she felt unsafe, and she is a single parent," she said.
The growing homeless population in Biloxi highlights the challenges faced by communities across the nation. Residents are demanding a comprehensive response that addresses the underlying causes of homelessness while ensuring safety and a healthy quality of life for all residents.
