Homeless in Jackson need help during colder temperatures

JACKSON, Tenn. — Homeless men in Jackson need your help as the temperatures at night only get colder heading into winter.

Homeless men in Jackson can be found on any night sleeping behind churches or other buildings in the Hub City.

And as we head into the New Year, temperatures are only going to get colder. So now, more than ever, Room in the Inn needs you.

“Some great volunteers come and bring them into a church full of happy, loving people that feed them, let them spend the night in their gym or auditorium, feed them breakfast the next morning and bring them back to ARM,” said Area Relief Ministries executive director Michael Roby.

This program is put on through ARM.

“We lose a few each year. They freeze to death, and there’s no reason for that,” Roby said.

William Beasley, who was once a part of Room in the Inn, is now a part of Turning Point House with ARM.

Turning Point is a program where homeless men can live at the house for up to two years and work towards getting back on track.

“A lot of people out here have nowhere to go; they have no food. It really beats the street,” Beasley said.

Thursday they had breakfast donated to the men who live in the Turning Point House.

The men get jobs and do chores at the house until they’re back on their feet and can move out.

Beasley says being a part of Turning Point has helped him get his finances together, and he’s got big plans for the future.

“I’m going to get my own place. Room in the Inn helped me realize, ‘Look, man, you can’t go out there and spend everything. You gotta save something,'” Beasley said.

ARM is also always looking for donations of gloves, work boots, heavy coats and thermal underwear.

If you’d like to volunteer for a night with Room in the Inn, call Area Relief Ministries at (731) 423-9257 and ask for Michael Roby or Fred McKinnie.