Open Doors Homeless Coalition

On Tuesday, we visited with Phi Theta Kappa, Pi Epsilon Chapter at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College Jackson County Campus! We engaged in valuable conversation about homelessness in our community and listened to their amazing ideas about how they can play an active role with homeless service providers. We also shared all about the work of the MS-503 CoC with our unsheltered population!

Thank you, Phi Theta Kappa, for wanting to be a part of the solution!

Today, on September 2nd, we honor the strength, resilience, and hard work of every individual. At Open Doors, we recognize that everyone deserves the opportunity to build a better future. Together, we can create a community where every effort matters. Happy Labor Day!

In observance of Labor Day, our offices will be closed on September 2nd. We will resume normal operations on September 3rd. Thank you for your understanding.

Back Bay Mission and Open Doors Homeless Coalition worked together diligently to get our friend, Emory into a fabulous apartment! Working closely with our partners makes GREAT things happen!!

A huge THANK YOU to Beau Rivage Resort & Casino! They donated a total of 6,000 individual hygiene items including soap, shampoo, conditioner, etc.! These items will be handed out during outreach and to housed clients! It takes partners like Beau Rivage to help us help the people we serve every day!

Let’s wish our CHOICE case manager, Kiersten Cater, a very Happy Birthday!!

Open Doors Homeless Coalition and Back Bay Mission staff spent another day outreaching to unsheltered in Gulfport. Thank you Gulfport Police Department for teaming up with us again to end homelessness and support vulnerable communities!

MS-503 CoC is accepting RENEWAL and NEW projects to be included in the FY 2024-FY 2025 NOFO application! Please click the links below to view the Public Notice and the CoC and YHDP NOFO. Please reach out to Cathy Pitalo, MS-503 Planning Coordinator at [email protected] with any questions!

LINKS ⬇https://www.opendoorshc.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/MS-503-FY-2024-and-FY-2025-Public-Notice.pdf
https://www.opendoorshc.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/FY2024_FY2025_CoC_and_YHDP_NOFO_FR-6800-N-25.pdf

There was a FULL house at today's CoC meeting! Mireya Alexander, Magnolia Medical Foundation, and Margaret Menendez, Bethesda Free Clinic shared valuable information about the services they provide.Mental Health Association of South Mississippi was our Spotlight Organization! They shared all about the trainings and programs that they offer. And...Open Doors Homeless Coalition recognized team members with MCeRT for all of their support with our CHOICE program! Thanks to everyone who came!

ODHC staff, along with staff from Back Bay Mission and Mental Health Association of South Mississippi were back at it today outreaching to a remote encampment in Biloxi. Big shout out to our partners at Biloxi Police Department who always treat those we all serve with dignity and respect. It is only through our joint partnerships that community solutions can be achieved!

Our national nonprofit partners at National Alliance to End Homelessness recently released their State of Homelessness Report with a 15-year lookback at trends, by state, with an interactive map. Some key national takeaways: 1) response systems work effectively, but needs more resources to combat the nationwide affordable housing crisis; 2) more people than ever are experiencing homelessness for the first time, with a 23% increase in the past 5 years; 3) record high numbers of people are living unsheltered, especially among individuals; and 4) severe housing cost burden for renter households (paying more than half your income on rent) is on a dramatic rise. Mississippi's data trends are more encouraging, but there is so much more work to be done! Become a part of the solution by getting involved on the national or local level and consider becoming a member of your local Continuum of Care and investing your time, talent, or treasure to build a better community for us all!

State of Homelessness: 2024 Edition This report provides a comprehensive analysis of homelessness and reveals rising trends, disparities based on race, ethnicity, and gender, and the challenges faced in providing shelter and assistance to those in need.

Staff from Open Doors Homeless Coalition and Back Bay Mission conducted joint outreach in partnership with the Biloxi Police Department to an encampment in Biloxi today. Person-centered assessments were completed and housing solutions are in the works. Big thanks to all these partners who serve those with multiple needs in our communities!

Thank you, Mississippi Power!

Mississippi Power Foundation gives $350,000 toward customer assistance as temperatures continue to rise - WXXV News 25 Gulfport, Miss. – Mississippi Power is again announcing a plan to relieve pressure on customers in need as forecasters predict a hotter-than-average summer. The Mississippi Power Foundation is donating $350,000 to United Way to assist customers in need with their electric bills during the state’...

Today Cindy Fayard, YHDP-Youth Intake Coordinator, and Cathy Pitalo, MS-503 CoC Planning Coordinator met with Nikki Williams and Lauren Smith from Elijah's Closet! We are excited to say that they will now assist with our YHDP and CHOICE clients that fall into the age group of 18-24! We can’t thank them enough for helping us get our young people off to a good start with their housing!!

ODHC Staff spent the morning with our partners at the Gulfport Police Department outreaching to our most vulnerable neighbors experiencing homelessness in the city. We so appreciate the partnerships that create choice-driven solutions for those who need them most. Thank you!

Feed your cravings, feed hope. Get 25% off at Papa John's with code OPENDOORS and support Open Doors Homeless Coalition with $2 per order.

Homelessness is never a decision, but often an unexpected journey many endure. At Open Doors Homeless Coalition, we believe in supporting those on this difficult path and helping them find a way home.

Ending youth homelessness starts with empathy. We must understand and address their unique needs to provide the support they deserve.

We had a HUGE crowd at our monthly CoC meeting today! Marc Calvert with The Church of Turning Points was our guest speaker! He shared all about his programs and trainings that can benefit our clients and staff members! Our spotlight organization was Back Bay Mission! We always LOVE hearing about the amazing work they do! Thanks to everyone who attended!!

Pizza with a purpose! Enjoy 25% off your Papa John's order with code OPENDOORS and help Open Doors Homeless Coalition make a difference.

Thank you The Church of Turning Points for sharing all you do with us!! The work you do and the services you offer are incredible!

I want to thank Open Doors Homeless Coalition & Back Bay Mission for coming out and touring our Turning Points Men's Discipleship Program I am looking forward to this partnership between our organizations and excited to see what The Lord does with these connections.

Housing is more than just a shelter—it's a fundamental right and a cornerstone of justice. Let's work together to ensure everyone has a place to call home.

Hungry for change? Order from Papa John's with code OPENDOORS to enjoy 25% off and help Open Doors Homeless Coalition with every order!

Congratulations, Back Bay Mission! We are so proud that you are a partner in the MS-503 CoC!

🎉 Exciting News! 🎉

We are thrilled to announce that Back Bay Mission has been named Best Nonprofit Organization of Coastal Mississippi by the SunHerald! 🌟

Thank you to EVERYONE who voted and for your unwavering support. We couldn’t do any of our work without you! 💙🧡

📢🧠🏡 Understanding the link between mental health and homelessness is crucial. Many people experiencing homelessness with mental illness face immense adversity and trauma. Understanding this is key to providing compassionate care.

Many symptoms of mental illness are invisible, which introduces another set of challenges, such as identifying community mental health needs, helping individuals seek the mental health care they need, and supporting primary and secondary prevention of mental illness in the community.

Learn more about the relationship between mental health and homelessness: https://bit.ly/45YY2GK

The National Alliance to End Homelessness Conference ended with Capitol Hill Day! It was an honor and a pleasure to get to meet with representatives from Congressman Thompson's office, Congressman Ezell's office, Senator Wicker's office and Senator Hyde-Smith's office! We had the opportunity to share with them the great work that the MS-503 CoC is doing and thank them for their support!
Senator Roger Wicker
Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith
Congressman Bennie G. Thompson
Congressman Mike Ezell

Day 1 of the NAEH-National Alliance to End Homelessness Conference was amazing! Our CoC Planning Coordinator, Cathy Pitalo and Penelope Pendleton with Love
My Neighbor Foundation in Ridgeland, MS represented Mississippi in different sessions. At the end of the day, time was spent assisting other organizations pack care packages for an outreach event in DC on Tuesday night!

The 2024 National Conference on Ending Homelessness and Capitol Hill Day brings together service providers, system leaders, advocates, and people with lived experience of homelessness to learn from each other, discuss best practices, and share new innovations in the field. Advocates will also gather for an in-person Capitol Hill Day on Wednesday, July 10!

National Alliance to End Homelessness

Empathy opens the door to healing. Let's exchange compassion and create a path to recovery for those in need.

Thank you to all involved in this program!! 🎄

Police departments hosting Feed the Needy program - WXXV News 25 Police departments on the coast are hosting the annual Christmas Gulf Coast public safety Feed the Needy program. Christmas day meals must be requested by 10 AM on Friday, December 15. You can call any police department on the coast to request a delivery. If you want to donate, you can contact D’I...

Our ODHC elves were busy today packing almost 100 bags of holiday food to deliver to our clients that are housed through our CHOICE and YHDP programs! A BIG shout out to Keesler Federal Credit Union for the bags that made our job so much easier!