Jonesboro, AR – (JonesboroRightNow.com) – April 24, 2024 – “John” has been homeless for more than a year. He lives at an encampment near Cate Avenue, close to the Salvation Army.
He is one of about eight people who live there. He said the population sometimes swells to over 30 homeless people. He calls the encampment the “Camp of Last Resort.”
Other encampments for the homeless are located off Apache Dr and off Loberg near the Oaklawn Cemetery, according to Sally Smith, public information specialist with the Jonesboro Police Department. Other smaller encampments are rumored, but are transient.
John’s story begins when he said he pleaded guilty to third-degree domestic battery, a misdemeanor. After spending 30 days in the county jail, he said when he got out, he lost his home, his vehicle, and his money.
A man was found dead last Friday morning, April 19, in a tent at the Camp of Last Resort, according to the Jonesboro Police.
Robert Masterson, 54, was unresponsive when police arrived. John said he had snorted meth with Masterson the night before he died.
He thinks Masterson may have taken something that was laced with fentanyl later that night.
In 2023, Arkansas reported 2,609 homeless people, according to a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Point in Time (PIT) count.
Capt. Charles Smith of the Jonesboro Salvation Army said the SA has 12 beds for men, 4 for women, and 1 for a couple.
He said the SA is working to renovate a nearby building that would house homeless. However, the SA has a strict no-alcohol and no-drugs policy, and many homeless are addicted to drugs or alcohol which prevents them from utilizing this temporary housing.
John said many also suffer from mental-health issues. Dana Moore, a homeless advocate and integral leader in local homeless resource centers added that “Probably 75% of our ‘tent city’ problem in Jonesboro is due to mental illness.” She believes that we need more rehab beds and less jail beds in order to address the problem.
The Salvation Army reported that in 2023, they provided 4,093-night stays in their shelter and served 31,114 meals to the hungry.
The city opened The HUB (Helping Underserved Belong) in 2017 to provide intermediary services such as medical and dental referrals, mental health assessments, mentoring, job readiness programs, and financial literacy and budgeting programs, among others. Southwest Church in Jonesboro offered to partner with The HUB to open a transitional home for women. The HUB transitioned into to The Promise House in 2023 with Kimberly Chase as its director. Chase was previously the director of The HUB, and the Board of Directors is largely the same for The Promise House as it was for The HUB.
The Promise House helps women leaving situations of domestic violence and in need of resources and job skills.
The Hope House, another resource center located at 111 N. Fisher St., offers showers, laundry, limited medical assistance, and other services for individuals. The Sure Foundation, which opened The Hope House last year, received $85,000 to increase supportive services for the homeless and install ADA-compliant infrastructure.
The Craighead County Jonesboro Public Library is another destination for the homeless. Library Director Vanessa Adams said when the weather is extremely hot or cold, seven or eight homeless people are regulars during the day. They can also have access to the library’s computers.
Dana Moore said that the majority of the local homeless population is not “the people under the bridge,” though they are important. The majority of the local homeless population is families with children. She added that a recent homeless population survey in Jonesboro found that there were 344 homeless children in four Jonesboro schools.
“These children of course are not completely unsheltered; they are not out under a bridge. There are some living in vehicles… Their families are split up, staying with whoever will let them, couch surfing,” Moore said.
Jonesboro doesn’t have a homeless shelter and has “no plans to build or develop one,” according to Moore.
