Mississippi Today
Mississippi welfare funds wound up in a Ghanaian gold bar hoax, court filing alleges
Mississippi welfare officials for years directed federal funds intended to serve the state’s poorest residents to suspicious causes such as a university volleyball stadium, drug rehab for a former pro wrestler, a horse ranch for a former pro football player, and dozens of other things auditors have since flagged.
Text messages obtained by Mississippi Today and a new court filing reveal that the state’s welfare funds may have been lost in another stunning plot: an African heiress gold bar scam.
For the majority of 2019, the federal welfare funds quietly flowed to a pharmaceutical startup with questionable financial prospects. The payments are one component of civil litigation the state is bringing against dozens of people or companies that misspent or improperly received welfare funds.
A pleading filed Dec. 12 in the lawsuit alleges that the company’s founder, a defendant in the case, turned around and sent at least some of that money to an investment group in Ghana, Africa, for a venture that he thought would make him rich but turned out to be a scam.
The founder estimates he lost no more than $30,000 in company funds during a time when the company was primarily funded by a welfare grant, though it’s unclear how much of that amount may have originated from the federal funds. At that time, it would have taken a family of three 15 years to receive that much through the welfare program โ a monthly check of $170 โ which would have been impossible because the assistance maxes out after five years.
A defense attorney for another defendant recounted painstaking details of the hoax in his lengthy court filing, which alleges former Gov. Phil Bryant was behind the welfare department’s spending, including the intertwining of a drug manufacturing project with a federally-funded anti-poverty initiative. Bryant has repeatedly denied directing any of the welfare spending in question.
Jake Vanlandingham, a neuroscientist from Florida, founded a pharmaceutical startup called Prevacus in 2012 with the idea of developing a drug to treat concussions. To build up the company, he brought on former NFL quarterback Brett Favre, who himself suffered from concussions and used his platform as a famous athlete to raise awareness about the issue.
Favre and Vanlandingham would later take the project to then-Gov. Bryant and then secure $2 million in welfare funds through an economic development partnership that Bryant has tried to distance himself from since arrests in early 2020.
But before all that, the scientist became involved with an inventor who appears to have led him into a movie-like investment scam.
According to texts obtained by Mississippi Today, Vanlandingham began consulting with a man named Don Martin around 2017 to find additional funding and investors for Prevacus. Martin was based in Columbus, Ohio, and had his own concussion-related โsmart helmetโ venture.
He told Vanlandingham he was working on a deal with an investor named Daniella who owned land in Africa worth hundreds of millions that she was trying to sell to the government. Martin, now 71, told Mississippi Today last week that he met the supposed investor, a wealthy heiress from Ghana, when she reached out to him on Facebook.
Simultaneously, Vanlandingham said he was working to secure patents in China, to which he said he owed hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Through 2018, Martin had promised to secure an investment of $1 million out of the Ghana deal for Prevacus. That prospect, however far-fetched, was enticing to Vanlandingham, who said he needed the money to leverage an additional $2 million from the U.S. Department of Defense.
But after months of stringing the scientist along, Martin finally told Vanlandingham he would have to first put up $25,000 to help pay for a โgeological analysisโ for the land that Martin said his overseas investor required.
Vanlandingham tried to find the money, but the scientist’s contacts had dried up and he was experiencing deep personal financial problems, according to the texts. He was forced to sell his family’s home to pay the taxes for Prevacus, he said, and ask his mom for a loan to get into a rental. Martin tried to put him at ease by saying things like, โI know what we are doing is pleasing to God.โ
Vanlandingham tried to get Favre to secure the $25,000 through an investment in Prevacus from one of his fellow professional athletes, but they wouldn’t bite.
Then Favre suggested they ask the then-Mississippi governor for help and offer him stock in the company. Bryant bit. The men met with several others for dinner in Jackson at Walker’s Drive-In in late December of 2018.
Days later on Jan. 2, 2019, the scientist and Favre met with then-welfare agency director John Davis and nonprofit operator Nancy New. There, they struck a deal โ which Bryant denies facilitating โ to push $1.7 million in federal welfare grant funds to Prevacus.
โDavis conferred with Bryant concerning using MDHS grant funds to benefit Prevacus,โ alleges the court document filed Dec. 12 on behalf of New’s nonprofit Mississippi Community Education Center. โBryant, Davis, and other MDHS Executives directed, approved, facilitated, and furthered the use of MDHS grant funds โฆ to benefit Prevacus.โ
Bryant, who is suing Mississippi Today for defamation and has sent threats to the news outlet for continuing to report this story, declined through an attorney to answer questions about this story or respond to allegations in the latest court filing.
The concept was for Prevacus to locate its clinical trial site and eventually the drug manufacturing plant at Tradition, a real estate development and medical corridor on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Bryant would later become vice president of the venture, and the developer, Joe Canizaro, said he paid Bryant on retainer for consulting services for years after he left office.
The grant money for Prevacus didn’t come through instantaneously. โIs the grant submitted now? Have you been pre-approved? Are you confident funds will be within 48 hours?โ Martin texted anxiously. โI need to update the attorneys.โ
Vanlandingham assured Martin he’d secured the grant from Mississippi and the money was on its way. Martin said he was at peace โKnowing all is good and the communication with the grant lady is specific to distribution date.โ
Vanlandingham had held Martin off for months as the hopeful inventor badgered Vanlandingham for some portion of the $25,000. But once Prevacus’ first payment of $750,000 in Mississippi welfare money came in mid-January 2019, Vanlandingham almost immediately wired an unspecified amount to Martin’s company ACTEX, texts show. โWire sent your way. Make us proud,โ Vanlandingham texted Martin on Jan. 23, 2019.
Vanlandingham texted another public official, Leonard Bentz, the director of South Mississippi Planning & Development District, formerly an elected public service commissioner for the southern district, who was at the meeting with Bryant in December.
โHey brother lots of good stuff happening for us. 1.95M with the Governors help. We are excited. Good time to get investors!!!โ Vanlandingham wrote in a never-before-published text. Bentz did not respond to this text. While he initially expressed enthusiasm about potentially finding funding for Prevacus at the Mississippi Development Authority, it wasn’t too long until Bentz stopped responding to Vanladingham altogether. Bentz said he was unaware welfare agency grant funds were used on the venture.
โI don’t think the governor and them have as much involvement as everybody’s making it out to be,โ Bentz told Mississippi Today last week. โIt is what it is, if those people who were managing those funds didn’t do right, then it sounds like the criminal justice system is going to get them for not doing right.โ
Bentz added that if the concussion drug, which Prevacus has since sold to another company, ends up being legitimate, he still wants the manufacturing facility located in Mississippi. โTell them we’d love to sit down with them,โ he said.
For two weeks after Vanlandingham sent the funds to Martin, nothing happened until Martin explained โthere is serious political unrestโ in Ghana where his contact was located. He told Vanlandingham that Daniella was unsafe because there had been a rash of kidnappings of wealthy people in her region. Martin often discussed the plan to fly the wealthy heiress to the states, though he denied to Mississippi Today ever having a romantic relationship with the woman.
โThe plan is first focus to get her to me safe,โ Martin texted.
A week or so later, Martin broke the news to Vanlandingham that Ghana Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia had been in a serious car accident that killed his driver โ a story news outlets widely reported but was later debunked. Another two weeks later, Martin said Daniella was in critical condition with malaria and depression. โThey say she may not make it,โ Martin said.
Vanlandingham sent another wire. โBless you Jake! Daniella is better thanks to your thoughtfulness,โ Martin responded. A month later, Martin asked for another $500, because โthe government did not acceptโ the initial payment.
โThis is it for me,โ Vanlandingham responded. โI’m worried shitless this is a scam. I have until April 9th to pay 300k to China.โ
By mid-April, Vanlandingham was saying, โI’m dead man โฆ I owe 336k a week ago.โ
But Martin had good news: their multi-million dollar payment was approved and ready to process, they just needed โa legal permit to the holding bankโ which the government required โto meet compliance on source of monies.โ
They were just short $4,000. The same day, April 18, 2019, New’s nonprofit sent Prevacus another $500,000.
The texts show Vanlandingham sent Martin another wire the next day. โMoney cleared,โ Martin texted, and Vanlandingham responded, โI’m counting on u brother.โ
When Favre asked Vanlandingham for an update on Prevacus’ finances, the scientist responded, โNot much still pushing the African money.โ
Then the attorney on the ground in Ghana who they were allegedly working with to close the deal asked for a $1,000 stipend. Martin relayed his message: โPlease try your best and get me the 1k to survive on I have no one here.โ
In mid-May, Prevacus received another $250,000 in Mississippi grant funds. About a week later, Martin offered more good news: he could increase his investment in Prevacus to $1.5 million โif you can wire $5k to me today or pay to accelerate.โ Vanlandingham sent another wire.
โMan I’m stoked. โฆ It’s our time!!!โ Vanlandingham texted. Then, after receiving no money four days later, โYo, my brother. I’m dying!!!โ
Around the same time, the court filing shows that Vanlandingham was updating Prevacus investors about โclinical patient intake site at Tradition,โ telling them, โA great deal of this has been funded with the help of folks in Mississippi including the Governor.โ
In early June, Martin again told Vanlandingham they needed more money to close. Daniella had found two more parcels that the government wanted to add to the real estate deal, but Vanlandingham would have to put up another $8,000 in closing costs.
โWhat if we don’t?โ Vanlandingham asked. Martin responded, โWow…if we don’t then according to the attorney the government can get ugly and take the land.โ
A few days later, Vanlandingham said he secured another investor and sent another wire to Martin. โMake us proud brother,โ he texted.
A couple weeks later, the story went that there was a hold up at the bank. While the attorney, who they called Steven, was trying to wire the money, โthe Ghana Media Coalition against illegal small-scale mining came up to Steven seeing the wire was a great deal of money stopping to question him…holding him until yesterday.โ
โA friend of the Minister and Steven’s is putting up $17k for attorneys fees to clear Steven and release the wire,โ Martin said.
Vanlandingham responded, โThis sounds positive at some level?โ
Now, Martin said, they needed to find an additional $18,000 to release the hold.
Vanlandingham began researching what are called โ4-1-9โ fraud schemes and found an article on the website for the U.S. Embassy in Ghana describing a scenario eerily similar to what he was experiencing.
The website states, โThe goal of the criminal is to delude the target into thinking that he is being drawn into a very lucrative, albeit questionable, arrangement.โ
Vanlandingham texted Martin a link to the article, explaining that he’d been looking into this โfraud stuffโ where โit’s always โurgent’ and there’s always just โone more’ payment.โ
Martin, whom the Dec. 12 court filing described as โunflappableโ, responded by acknowledging the existence of such schemes โ โYes – there is…Steven told me all about itโ โ but then appeared to try to distract from the issue by describing in detail an unrelated illegal mining operation.
โ…especially regarding the Chinese national at the heart of illegal mining in Ghana, โฆ Nicknamed as the โgalamsey queenโ, โฆ who was arraigned in Ghana in 2017 for engaging in illegal small-scale mining at Bepotenten in the Amansie Central District in the Ashanti Region, was later deported in December 2018 by the government,โ Martin wrote.
A few days later, Vanlandingham began talking about involving the FBI โif this gets hung up much longer.โ
When he suggested this to the lawyer in Ghana, Vanlandingham received the response, โYou can report to FBI like you said am not scared sir am not a criminal if us every thing is for real you will regret thinking other wise.โ
But the scientist proceeded with them earnestly. โWorse still, Martin had begun proposing unusual transactions,โ the court filing reads. โFor example, Martin told Vanlandingham that โ[w]hen Steven wires to Prevacus $2k, you will wire back the $2k to same source he sent from then you will wire me 4500 โฆ and I will wire him 4500 โ closing same day.’โ
The deal was falling apart, but Martin said Daniella had a backup plan: โthe gold bars her father gave her before he died she is trying to sell โฆ she sent me a Video.โ
โSo to be clear as of now we are betting on selling gold bars for me just to get my money back?โ Vanlandingham texted.
The same day, on July, 16, 2019, Favre texted Gov. Bryant about funding for another pharmaceutical product he said New had promised to support but had apparently dropped. โHey Governor we are in a little bit of a crunch. … Jake can explain more but bottom line we need investors and need your direction.โ
โWill get with Jake.. will help all I can,โ Bryant responded.
Also the same day, Prevacus received another $400,000 in Mississippi welfare money. New had told Vanlandingham, โI will need to let Brett know that we will need to pull this from what we were hoping to help him with [volleyball]โฆ.โ
That evening, Favre visited Bryant. On his way, Favre texted Bryant, “I really need your help with Nancy and Jake. I’ll be mowing your lawn for years after this!!”
“You my man… we are all in..” Bryant responded.
After seeing Favre that night, Bryant texted New, โJust left Brett Favre. Can we help him with his project. We should meet soon to see how I can make sure we keep your projects on course.โ
Favre thanked Bryant and the governor responded that he had scheduled a meeting with New and arranged a call with the White House. โThis can help with our concussion project,โ the governor wrote.
The court filing points out, โAgain, Bryant described Prevacus as โour … project.’โ
The next day, Martin forwarded the video of the gold bars to Vanlandingham. In it, a man intentionally displays his hand with two large rings on his pinky and ring fingers as another man in a suit bends down to open a gray safe on the floor to reveal the bars.
Vanlandingham reviewed the video and responded, โYou-Tube? FBI time?โ
The attorney representing New’s nonprofit, who wrote the latest court filing, alleged that Vanlandingham communicated with Favre and Bryant about the Ghana situation.
โBased on information and belief, Vanlandingham spoke to Bryant concerning his investment in Ghana and its importance to Prevacus,โ the filing reads.โBased on information and belief, the Prevacus funds that Vanlandingham invested in Ghana included grant funds from the State of Mississippi.โ
โGood news,โ Vanlandingham texted Martin on July 19, 2019. โI’m pretty good friends with the Governor and he has direct access to Stephanie Sullivan the US ambassador to Ghana. We can run communication through the Governor and get these thieves!!!!โ
The latest court filing then highlights the fact that Bryant traveled to Ghana less than a month later in August 2019. Documents obtained by Mississippi Today show, however, that Bryant’s trip to Ghana and bordering Togo was planned beforehand and dealt with strengthening trade ties between Mississippi and West Africa.
โDuring his remarks, he (Bryant) said, a lot of investors based in Mississippi are interested in doing business in Ghana, the reason for which he is in the country to build an economic and investment bridge to facilitate future trade,โ reads a press release from the American Chamber of Commerce-Ghana.
Bryant traveled to Ghana with the CEO of a south Mississippi-based product called Sparta Mosquito Eradicator to discuss selling the company’s product to the country to deal with malaria outbreaks. Vanlandingham’s attorney George Schmidt told Mississippi Today last week that Bryant did not travel to the country on behalf of Prevacus and that the timing of the trip was a coincidence.
While Bryant was in Ghana, though, he continued to consult Favre on how to secure funds from the state welfare agency for the construction of a volleyball stadium at University of Southern Mississippi โ another project at the center of the scandal.
โTaking off from Ghana so this may be my last message for a while,โ Bryant texted Favre Aug. 16, 2019.
Back in the states, Vanlandingham complained to Martin that, โYou have put my (sic) in a fraudulent situation with my company โฆ I gave u company money not returned on my books.โ
But Vanlandingham continued to inquire on the sale of the gold bars until Martin finally told him they’d been confiscated. The scientist finally snapped, saying, โWow. What a joke. You got played. I’ll do fbi myself brother. โฆ Pitiful for me to have been involved โฆ What makes me the most furious is u never raised money for Actex. It also makes me curious to your involvement.โ
โU continued to take me down satans road,โ Vanlandingham said.
Yet Vanlandingham still kept hoping for something to turn around. Two days later, he texted, โI’m pretty devastated please share any progress. I’m out 120k with nothing to show for it.โ
Martin said Daniella reached out to a Greek investor who might be willing to put up the money to release the wire. โWow!!!!โ Vanlandingham responded. โBring it home brother!!!โ
Vanlandingham wired another $1,000, supposedly to match what the Greek investor planned to put up towards the closing costs. But then the heiress told Martin that the investor had backed out, and implored him to find the money himself. โIf you really can please do honey because we are at the edge of closing,โ Daniella said, according to a message Martin forwarded to Vanlandingham.
โSo did I throw away another 1k?โ Vanlandingham asked.
When Vanlandingham asked where the money went, Martin responded that โDaniella is tired and not well.โ
This went on for several more months, despite Vanlaningham’s stated connections to authorities in Ghana. The game continued even after investigators from the State Auditor’s Office began questioning Vanlandingham as part of the Mississippi welfare scandal. After New and Davis were arrested in February of 2020 on embezzlement charges partially related to the Prevacus payments, Vanlandingham and Martin were still discussing traveling to Berlin to get $300,000 for the scientist out of the Bank of Ghana.
From the texts, it’s hard to discern if Martin, who was at least initially reluctant to alert the authorities, was complicit, or if he, too, was swindled. Asked for comment for the story, Vanlandingham said he would contact his counsel but said by text that โDons a good guy with interesting technology.โ
Vanlandingham’s lawyer, Schmidt, told Mississippi Today last week that his client’s payments to the Ghana deal totaled no more than $30,000. The lawyer said he was unaware those funds originated from the welfare program.
Martin told Mississippi Today by phone last week that he’d fallen for the scam and that he never received a dime from the Ghana investor group. He couldn’t say how much in total he’d received from Vanlandingham, all of which he said he sent to Ghana, and that also he didn’t know the money potentially originated from federal grant funds earmarked for Mississippians. But when Martin finally filed a police report, he estimated his total losses at $500,000.
An incident report Martin provided to Mississippi Today shows he reported the scam to the Powell Police Department in Ohio in May of 2022 and the local police department forwarded the case through the FBI to the authorities in Ghana. โI advised Mr. Martin that this was a known scam and he would not be likely to get his money back,โ reads the officer’s report.
By the end, it had gotten worse. Martin said the Ghanaians had threatened to kidnap his daughter, and forced him to max out his credit cards purchasing products like laptops and iPhones for them. The police report shows that even after Martin initially reported the incident, the scammers told him there was a warrant for his arrest and convinced him to send $40,000 to remove the warrant. Martin said he’s in $140,000 worth of credit card debt. He also said he experienced a fire in 2021 and he’s been living in the dilapidated house, exposed to the elements with no heat or water.
โI’m totally broke,โ Martin told Mississippi Today on Dec. 14.
Martin is still promoting his helmet invention and company, ACTEX, but he’s never raised the money to develop a prototype. He explained that the main reason he fell for the Ghana hoax, which went on for about three years, is his strong faith in God and the belief that he was created for a purpose.
โThe way I looked at it was, God works in unusual ways. See, because ACTEX is dedicated for God’s kingdom. And it’s there to save lives and to help people. That’s part of my mission statement. So I kept thinking, โWell, okay.’ Because I prayed about it. (And God said), โYes, this is what I want you to do.’ โYes, yes, yes.’โ
Martin still believes that he acted in obedience of the Lord and that โhe’ll bless ACTEX and many doors will open.โ
Meanwhile, the Mississippi welfare funds allegedly lost to the Ghanaians in the scam have yet to be recovered. New and her son have pleaded guilty to felonies for pushing welfare funds to Prevacus. Vanlandingham and Favre are facing civil charges. Bryant has not faced criminal or civil charges. The criminal investigation is ongoing.
This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
Mississippi Today
Senate panel weighs how much โ or whether โ to cut state taxes
A group of state senators on Monday grappled with how much to slash state taxes or if they should cut them at all, portending a major policy debate at the Capitol for next year’s legislative session.
The Senate Fiscal Policy Study Group solicited testimony from the state government‘s leading experts on budget, economic and tax policies to prepare for an almost certain intense debate in January over how much they should trim state taxes while balancing the need to fund government services.ย
Senate Finance Chairman Josh Harkins, a Republican from Flowood whose committee has jurisdiction over tax policy, told Mississippi Today that he wanted senators to have basic facts in front of them before they help decide next year if Mississippi should cut taxes.
โWe’re getting a tax cut the next two years whether we do anything or not,โ Harkins said. โI just want to make sure we have all the facts in front of people to understand we have a clear picture of how much revenue we’re bringing in.โ
Mississippi is already phasing in a major tax cut. After a raucous debate in 2022, lawmakers agreed to phase in an income tax cut. In two years it will leave Mississippi with a flat 4% tax on income over $10,000, one of the lowest rates in the nation.
However, the top two legislative leaders, Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann who oversees the Senate and House Speaker Jason White, have both recently said they want legislators to consider new tax cut policies.
Hosemann, the Republican leader of the Senate, has publicly said he would like to see the state’s grocery tax, the highest of its kind in the nation, reduced, though he hasn’t specified how much of a reduction or how long it would take for the cut to be implemented.
White, a Republican from West, said last week that he would like to see the state’s 4% income tax phased out and have the state’s 7% grocery tax cut in half over time.
โWe are hoping to construct a tax system that, yes, prioritizes certain needs in our state, but it also protects and rewards taxpayers,โ White said last week.
But it’s difficult to collect accurate data on the state’s grocery tax, and state lawmakers must grapple with a laundry list of spending needs and obligations based on testimony from state agency leaders on Monday.
Mississippi currently has a 7% sales tax, which is applied to groceries. The state collects the tax but remits 18.5% back to cities. For many municipalities, the sales tax is a significant source of revenue.
If state lawmakers want to reduce the grocery tax without impacting cities, they could pass a new law to change the diversion amounts or appropriate enough money to make the municipalities whole.
State Revenue Commissioner Chris Graham said the Mississippi Department of Revenue, the agency in charge of collecting state taxes, does not have a mechanism in place for accurately capturing how much money cities collect in grocery taxes. This is because the tax on groceries is the same as non-grocery items.
However, Graham estimates that the state collects roughly $540 million in taxes from grocery items.
The other problem lawmakers would have in implementing significant tax cuts is a growing list of spending needs in Mississippi, a state with abject poverty, water and sewer and other infrastructure woes and some of the worst health metrics in the nation.
Representatives from the Legislative Budget Office, the group that advises lawmakers on tax and spending policy, told senators that lawmakers will also be faced with rising costs in the public employee retirement system, the Medicaid budget, public education, state employee health insurance, and state infrastructure projects.
State agencies, including the employee retirement system, also requested $751 million more for the coming budget year.
โThat’s the billion dollar question, I guess,โ Senate Appropriations Chairman Briggs Hopson, a Republican from Vicksburg, said. โHow we’re able to fund basic government services?โ
Harkins and Hopson said the committee would likely meet again before the Legislature convenes for its 2025 session on January 7.
A House committee on tax cuts has also been holding hearings, and White in September held a summit on tax policy.
This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
Mississippi Today
Already dire lack of affordable housing for low-income Mississippians on verge of worsening
In Mississippi, where there’s already a dearth of 50,000 or more affordable homes for extremely low-income residents, that number could grow in the next five years.
Housing units available under the federal Low Income Tax Credit program could lose their affordability by 2030 โa number estimated nationwide to be 350,000 with 2,917 in Mississippi, alone; 496 in the state already have.
The federal program responsible for most of the nation’s affordable housing is expiring.
The Low Income Housing Tax Credit, introduced as part of the Tax Reform Act of 1986, provides for developers to buy, build and restore low-income housing units. Under the deal, the housing only needs to stay low-rent for 30 years. Construction began in the early 1990s.
Some LIHTC housing will remain affordable due to other subsidies, nonprofits, state law and individual landlords.
โI think the low-income housing tax credit has done everything that it can to address the need for affordable housing around the state,โ said Scott Spivey, executive director of the Mississippi Housing Corporation, a state office that administers the program and works with the state government and those in the affordable housing industry to create and support affordable housing
Spivey supports the proposed Affordable Housing Credit and Improvement Act, a federal bill that would expand upon the low-income housing tax credit in several ways, including giving developers more credit for certain projects for low-income households and changing tenant eligibility rules.
The bill was introduced in the House and the Senate last session, and is co-sponsored by Mississippi Sens. Cindy Hyde-Smith and Roger Wicker and in the House by Reps. Mike Ezell, and Michael Guest. As of this spring, both bills are in committee.
While housing has become a major issue for Americans, getting legislation passed has been challenging. โEverybody knows that housing is an issue, but it gets caught up with everything elseโฆand it kind of gets lost in the shuffle,โ said Spivey.
This issue is especially important in Mississippi, where demand for housing is high across all incomes.
โAll the market studies that we see that come with the applications tell us that there’s a huge need for affordable housing across the state at all the income bandsโ said Spivey.
According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, almost a third of Mississippi renters are extremely low income; 65% of them are severely cost burdened, meaning they spent more than half their income on rent. The majority of these households are seniors, disabled people, single caregivers of young children, people enrolled in school, or other.
Director of Housing Law at the Mississippi Center for Justice, Ashley Richardson said housing problems worsened after Mississippi stopped participating in the federal rental assistance program in 2022.
MCJ’s work on housing includes a statewide eviction hotline, investigating instances of housing discrimination, and more.
Richardson praised the LIHTC program, but echoed Spivey’s concerns. โEven with the affordable housing we do have in Mississippi, we are still at a lack,โ she said.
The National Housing Preservation Database estimates Mississippi is short 52,421 affordable and available rental homes for low-income people. The National Low Income Housing Coalition puts the figure at 49,478.
Richardson wants the state to deal with issues like providing more tenant protections and rental assistance. There’s also a need to improve homes that are rundown or in poor condition, and many housing nonprofits are running out of funding.
Spivey said people should talk to their property managers and learn about their rights. MHC’s website has resources for homebuyers and renters.
As the housing crisis goes on, there are options for people struggling to find and keep affordable housing and an effort to take action at the federal and state levels.
Some aspiring low-income homeowners may qualify for Habitat for Humanity, a program that builds homes for families in need. Families who qualify work on the homes alongside volunteers, pay an affordable mortgage and receive financial literacy education.
New applicants must meet the qualifications, including a good debt-income ratio, 125 hours of sweat equity and taking classes on financial literacy, home repairs, and being a good neighbor.
Merrill McKewen, executive director for Habitat for Humanity Mississippi Capital Area, emphasized the importance of housing to individuals and communities.
โThere are untold studies that have been done that, you’ve gotta have a safe, decent, affordable place to live. The children are better students, the parents are better employeesโฆit grounds you to a community that you can contribute to and be a part of. It is the American dream, to own a home, which is what we’re all about,โ she said.
This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
Mississippi Today
Mississippi Election 2024: What will be on Tuesdayโs ballot?
Mississippians will go to the polls on Tuesday, Nov. 5, to elect federal and state judicial posts and some local offices, such as for election commissioners and school board members.
Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday. To find your polling place, use the secretary of state’s locator, or call your local county circuit clerk.
READ MORE: View the Mississippi sample ballot.
The following is a list of the candidates for federal and judicial posts with brief bios:
President
- Kamala Harris, current vice president and Democratic nominee for president. Her running mate is Tim Walz.
- Donald Trump, former president and current Republican nominee. His running mate is J.D. Vance.
- Robert Kennedy Jr. remains on the ballot in Mississippi even though he has endorsed Trump. His running mate is Nicole Shanahan.
- Jill Stein is the Green Party candidate. Her running mate is Rudolph Ware.
- Five other candidates will be on the Mississippi ballot for president. For a complete list of presidential candidates, see the sample ballot.
U.S. Senate
- Ty Pinkins is the Democratic nominee. He is a Rolling Fork native and attorney, representing, among other clients, those alleging unfair working conditions. He served 21 years in the U.S. Army, including combat stints, other overseas deployment and posts in the White House,
- Roger Wicker is the Republican incumbent senator. He resides in Tupelo and has served in the U.S. Senate since late 2007 after first being appointed to fill a vacancy by then-Gov. Haley Barbour. He was elected to the post in 2008. He previously served in the U.S. House and as a state senator. He is an attorney and served in the United States Air Force.
House District 1
- Dianne Black is the Democratic nominee. She is a small business owner in Olive Branch in DeSoto County.
- Trent Kelly is the Republican incumbent. He was elected to the post in a special election in 2015. He previously served as a district attorney and before then as a prosecuting attorney for the city of Tupelo. He is a major general in the Mississippi Army National Guard.
House District 2
- Bennie Thompson is the Democratic incumbent. He was first elected to the post in 1993. Before then, he served as a Hinds County supervisor and as alderman and then as mayor of Bolton.
- Ronald Eller is the Republican nominee. He grew up in West Virginia and moved to central Mississippi after retiring from the military. He is a physician assistant and business owner.
House District 3
- Michael Guest is the Republican incumbent and is unopposed.
House District 4
- Mike Ezell is the Republican incumbent first being elected in 2022. He previously served as Jackson County sheriff.
- Craig Raybon is the Democratic nominee. Raybon is from Gulfport and began a nonprofit โfocused on helping out the community as a whole.โ
Central District Supreme Court
- Jenifer Branning currently serves as a member of the state Senate from Neshoba County.
- Byron Carter is a Hinds County attorney and previously served as a law clerk for Supreme Court Justice Armis Hawkins.
- James Kitchens is the incumbent. He has served on the state’s highest court since 2008.
- Ceola James previously served on the Court of Appeals.
- Abby Gale Robinson is a Jackson attorney. She previously was a commercial builder.
Southern District Supreme Court
- Dawn Beam is the incumbent, having been first appointed in 2016 by then-Gov. Phil Bryant and later winning election to the post. She is a former chancellor for the Hattiesburg area.
- David Sullivan is an attorney in Harrison County and has been a municipal judge in D’Iberville since 2019. His father, Michael, previously served on the state Supreme Court.
Northern District Supreme Court seats
- Robert Chamberlin of DeSoto County is unopposed.
- James Maxwell of Lafayette County is unopposed.
Court of Appeals 5th District seat
- Ian Baker is an assistant district attorney in Harrison County.
- Jennifer Schloegel is a Chancery Court judge for Harrison, Hancock and Stone counties.
- Amy St. Pe is a Municipal Court judge in Gautier.
Court of Appeals District 2
- Incumbent Latrice Westbrooks is unopposed.
Court of Appeals District 3
- Incumbent Jack Wilson is unopposed.ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย
This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
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