JACKSON, Miss.—A white Jackson Public Schools pickup truck backed into a space in front of a cluster of apartments at the Blossom Apartments on Woodbine Street in South Jackson on Aug. 13. Volunteers began pouring out of nearby cars and gathered around the truck, unloading new backpacks, school uniforms with tags and supplies from it to help families of students facing water outages and eviction amid a dispute between the complex and the City.
“When you think about a water outage, (there are) the struggles with being able to wash clothes every day. So we provided additional uniforms,” Jackson Public Schools McKinney-Vento program manager Tiffany Jones told the Mississippi Free Press on Aug. 14. “Also, they had the bottled water, but in our hygiene kit, we have products available in there (for) their house. So just our basic needs are in there. Then the school supplies. I know that other some of the families are having to move out and sometimes they leave things behind.”
Blossom residents are caught in the crossfire of an ongoing battle between the utility company JXN Water and several apartment complexes in the metro area. The complex owes more than $400,000 for water, but owner Tony Little blamed the issue on an underground water leak and faulty usage calculations. The City of Jackson’s investigation into the water issues at Blossom Apartments revealed mold, mildew and flooding issues.
In July, JXN Water shut off water access at the Blossom Apartments. Mississippi Home Corporation gave Blossom Park’s remaining residents a 72-hour eviction notice on Aug. 8, citing deteriorating living conditions. U.S. District Judge Henry Wingate issued an order for JXN Water to restore water to the apartments through the end of the day on Aug. 20 in response to an emergency request from Mayor John Horhn, but time is running out for families being forced to move.
Horhn said during an Aug. 18 meeting of the City of Jackson’s newly-formed Housing Task Force that he would not ask the judge for another extension on water access. Nic Lott, the City of Jackson’s director of communications, told the Mississippi Free Press on Aug. 20 that Stewpot Community Services would continue assisting remaining tenants with finding temporary housing.
The mayor said during a press conference at the complex on Aug. 9, 2025, that the City of Jackson’s investigation into the water shutoff revealed other longstanding issues. “They’ve had issues of mold, mildew. There’s been flooding that hasn’t been addressed,” the mayor said.
The situation caught Jones’ attention. The McKinney-Vento program works to identify and assist students experiencing homelessness, ensuring they have access to the resources needed to stay in school.
“When we saw the news coverage, we started thinking about how we could respond, especially to find out if we had any scholars who live there,” Jones told the Mississippi Free Press on August 14.
Jones reached out to a contact with the City of Jackson, who introduced her to a contact at the Blossom apartments. She learned that there were four families and approximately 15 children ranging from elementary to high school grades at the complex.
“She shared that there were several families, even one mom, who had not had the opportunity to complete registration for her five children,” Jones said. “And that there were other families there with JPS students.”
‘They Got Everyone Served’
On Aug. 13, members of the team knocked on doors, canvassing the partially empty apartment complex for families of school-aged children. As families emerged from their units and gathered near the tables on the sidewalk, social workers collected family information, handing out white drawstring bags filled with school supplies, hygiene kits, undergarments, and supplies at the embattled apartments.
At another table, Teresa Coleman sat with a laptop registering students, a heavy-duty battery-powered fan serving as her only reprieve from the scorching August heat. Nearby, Jones directed the school district staff and greeted the families with a smile. She offered her district cell phone number to one high school student, instructing them to call her if they needed anything.
“The office was locked and nobody’s there,” Blossom resident Stacey Patrick told the Mississippi Free Press on Aug. 18. “So they had to set up on the sidewalk in the heat and try to interview the parents and get all the book bags together. So it was grueling for them, but they persevered. They got everyone served.”
The district’s Enrollment Management division was also on-site. That department provides support and resources to keep students in school and on track for graduation.
“We took into consideration what barriers would exist with those students or what would impede their education, especially in light of the water outage, so we started thinking about how we could use these services that we already provide as an additional layer of support for those students,” Jones said.
The teams also provided gift cards collected by the district’s Partners in Education to families with additional needs.
Jones: Focus Is On ‘Best Interests of the Child’
Through the McKinney-Vento program, identified unhoused students, such as those at Blossom apartments, may also receive additional academic and social-emotional support. Jones said her office has three dedicated social workers who will reach out to students’ schools to determine how to best support the children. Certified teachers will provide academic tutoring after school and at local homeless shelters when needed.
The office will help families determine the best school placement for the children while the family is in temporary housing and arrange district transportation. The district will also help arrange transportation for students whose temporary housing places them outside their current school zone.
“The law says that they have a right to their school of origin, so if it is in the best interest of the child to stay there, they stay,” Jones said. “We also take into consideration the grade levels of the children. If you’re talking about an elementary child, who may have to get up extremely early in the morning just to get to their school of origin, is that in the best interest of the child?”
Most importantly, Jones wants the families to know the school district is here to support them.
Families displaced from the Blossom Apartments and any other Jackson Public School district unhoused students may contact the district’s McKinney-Vento Program office at (601) 960-8707.
Shaunicy Muhammad contributed to this report.
