8/4/2022
Jackson, MS – One Voice and the Mississippi State Conference NAACP are issuing the following joint statement in response to Governor Tate Reeves’ announcement that he is ending the Rental Assistance for Mississippi Program (RAMP) for new applicants starting August 15.
Governor Tate Reeves’ decision to end the RAMP program for new applicants displays a complete lack of awareness of the hardships that hardworking Mississippians are facing in the state. It is extremely unfortunate that Mississippi’s governor has decided that he would rather be proactive in making the lives of citizens more difficult instead of actually leading the charge to implement policies that support the hardworking people of Mississippi.
“Before it was the federal unemployment benefits that was keeping people from getting jobs. Now he’s saying it’s the rental assistance program that’s preventing people from getting a job. But he’s yet to show concrete evidence to support these claims and decisions that will hurt more people in our state.” says Nsombi Lambright-Haynes, Executive Director of One Voice. “What the governor hasn’t addressed is the fact that so many people in our state with full time jobs are unable to stay current on their rent, pay for gas, and buy groceries for their families in this economy. This notion that this program pays people not to work is completely ridiculous and shows his disconnect from the everyday people in our state”
“The end of this program is disheartening. Mississippi has one of highest housing insecurity rates in the nation, and according to the National Low-Income Housing Coalition, almost 80% of extremely low-income renter households in the state are in the labor force, disabled, or seniors. State leadership should focus on recovering millions in fraudulent welfare spending by those in positions of power not continuing the attack on the state’s most economically marginalized.” says Matthew Campbell, Community Organizer for the Mississippi State conference NAACP.
Instead of using his office to target the state’s most economically marginalized, the governor should use his power to help build a Mississippi where everyone can thrive. Governor Tate Reeves should instead focus on policies that are proven to support working families like:
- Implementing a state minimum wage
- Implementing a state level Earned Income Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit
- Leading the charge to help local municipalities address affordable housing shortages with ARPA funds
- Strengthen laws to protect tenants from slumlords
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