After a brief period of review, members of Hattiesburg City Council have decided to deny an item regarding zoning that would allow the operation of a men’s shelter off Broadway Drive in Hattiesburg.
That measure was taken at the January 16 council meeting, where board members decided to uphold the recommendation of Wiley Quinn, who serves as director of the city’s Urban Development Department. That decision had been postponed at the January 2 council meeting after members decided to take some time to pore over information provided to them by the Hattiesburg Planning Commission regarding the facility, which would be known as The Cottages and would be managed by Lighthouse Rescue Mission.
Currently, the use of a “group home” is not allowed at that site, so a zoning reclassification would have been necessary in order to open the shelter.
“Quite simply, the question was, did (Quinn) make a mistake when he was asked to look at the definition of (the use of that property), and it was quite clear that there was no evidence of a mistake,” Ward 4 Councilman Dave Ware said. “What’s important is to note that the work Lighthouse is doing is great work; no one denies that, because they’re doing life-changing work.
“But that work needs to be done in an area that’s zoned properly and correctly for that work, and this just was not.”
Purvis attorney Douglas Miller, who is representing site owner Ken Thronson – who also serves as director of Lighthouse Rescue Mission – recently filed an appeal with the city to change the site’s designation to allow a rehabilitation center at that location, which is currently zoned as B-5.
“If you consider the (North American Industry Classification System) rehabilitation facility (description), you will find residential mental health and substance abuse facilities, which I would submit Lighthouse Rescue Mission is,” Miller’s appeal states.
The Cottages would serve as a ministry that would offer rehabilitation for men battling addiction and homelessness. The facility also would provide job training for men housed at the site.
According to www.lighthouserescuemission.org, 1 in 14 adults – primarily men – use hallucinogenic drugs. In addition, one in 17 use cocaine, one in 18 misuse opioids and Fentanyl overdose is now the leading cause of death among Americans ages 18 to 45.
The Cottages would serve as a ministry that would offer rehabilitation for men battling addiction and homelessness. The facility also would provide job training for men housed at the site.
“They have the opportunity to appeal (or January 16 decision) to a court, and from my understanding they have 10 to 14 days to do that,” Ware said. “So we’ll see what happens with it.
“But there was no evidence that Mr. Quinn made any error in his decision or his judgement.”
After the January 2 council meeting, Ware said council members needed to look at the legal aspects of the matter.
“They’re saying that they are actually a rehabilitation center that would be for drug, alcohol, rehab,” Ware said after that meeting. “But on part of their application, it appears that they identified themselves as a group home.
“So we have to think about what’s right for the community and what’s best for that location – and frankly, what does the law say about it? So that’s what we’re really looking at, is the use in that area versus not being able to be located there because of (current guidelines). The main question is, is it a group home that they’re looking to place there, or is it a recovery center?”
For more information on the ministry, call (601) 544-2169, email thelighthousems@gmail.com, visit www.lighthouserescuemission.org/mens-ministry or go to the Lighthouse Rescue Mission Facebook page.
