Town hall targets PB’s housing crisis

At a town hall meeting, residents expressed their concerns and offered suggestions regarding affordable housing, food security and health care.

The meeting, held Thursday by the city of Pine Bluff’s Social Impact and Sustainability Committee at the Kevin Collins Center Council Chamber, provided a platform for community members to discuss the matters with city officials.

The first major topic of the evening was affordable housing. Speakers described the current situation as a crisis and emphasized the urgent need for solutions. Fred Tony, who said he had expertise in affordable housing development, stated, “I doubt if anyone disagrees with me by characterizing the housing situation here a crisis in terms of affordable housing and affordability. … We are in great need of affordable housing. The issue to me is how do we get more affordable housing in the community?”

The discussion quickly expanded beyond just the availability of affordable housing. Residents raised concerns about abandoned houses, vacant lots and the overall beautification of the city.

“We’re talking about affordability of our housing, but we have other issues. … We need to clean up those areas of those abandoned houses,” Trammell Howell said. “The people that own these places, half the time they don’t live here that have these rundown places that we need to clean up. … They got 60 days to do this and 20 days to do that and all they got to do is go put a board up and put a tack in it and then that whole process starts all over again.”

Another resident, Comey Henderson, shared his personal experience with purchasing abandoned properties from the city. “I bought like six or seven of them, and they end up about two weeks or three weeks after I bought them, they send me a letter saying I need to tear it down.” He highlighted the financial burden, stating, “That’s another $110,000 that you had to pay somebody to tear the house down. … I feel like the city needs to get some help or assistance with tearing it down.”

Reggie Bishop expressed frustration with what he perceived as unfair treatment, saying, “I see multiple properties that should have been condemned years ago, but my property … was advanced very quickly. … It was some politics behind it. Right before the insurance decided what to do, the city tore down the house. … I didn’t know that. We were leaving church and I drove by the property and my house is gone.”

He said he went to City Hall for answers and demanding transparency, but he has gotten neither.

Jihad Muhammad emphasized the need for renovation and rehabilitation. “We cannot go into this thing with a focus on tearing everything down; we already don’t have nothing,” he said. He also suggested an apprenticeship program for young men to remodel and renovate properties.

Linda King addressed the importance of educating tenants and new homeowners on property upkeep.

“If you get affordable housing and you have these tenants move in, they need to be educated on how to take care of the property,” she said.

The discussion then shifted to food security, with concerns raised about access to fresh fruits and vegetables, especially for children and the elderly. A resident expressed a desire for “a fresh market where they have organic foods and fresh vegetables.” She also noted the need for a grocery store in the Harding Avenue area, saying, “We do need a grocery store, especially over here on Harding where we did have a Super One.”

The idea of Community Gardens was also brought up, with a committee member highlighting the need for education and maintenance of such gardens. “How do you go about bringing those that you know want to create a garden. … How do we get people to bring people in to do these kind of things? … Some of the gardens that I’ve seen around town, they’re overrun and they’re not being taken care of.”

The concept of a food hub, where restaurants and grocery stores could donate surplus food, was also discussed. The committee member mentioned that in other communities, restaurants get a tax break for donating food.

Health care access emerged as a significant concern for residents. Speakers highlighted various barriers to care, including lack of education, trust issues, transportation problems and a general lack of awareness about available services.

Several speakers emphasized the need for better health education, especially for the elderly.

“I think for Pine Bluff Jefferson County, there is a lack of education about your health, especially the elderly,” Cynthia Henderson said. “I think we as a community need to get more involved in doing health fairs. …We just need to get the education out there.”

A recurring theme was the lack of trust in the health care system. Henderson touched on this, saying, “… I think it’s trust. A lot of people don’t trust like they used to.”

Transportation was identified as another critical barrier, preventing people from accessing health care facilities, an issue that disproportionately affects the elderly and those without reliable transportation.

A significant issue raised was the lack of awareness about the health care resources available in the community. Robert Treadwell emphasized the importance of collaboration between the city government and the health department to address community health concerns. He also stressed the department’s commitment to transparency and providing information to the public, referring to the recent measles outbreak currently spreading from state to state.

One speaker highlighted the negative perception of Jefferson County concerning health care, noting the difficulty in getting people to participate in health initiatives. He emphasized the need to “change the narrative” and encourage community involvement. He said “we need to look at how we represent the importance of this and how we push other people to get involved even if it means just grabbing somebody and taking somebody to the health screening with you.”

In closing remarks, Pine Bluff Mayor Vivian Flowers thanked everyone for their participation and for sharing their concerns. She emphasized the importance of the issues discussed and acknowledged the challenges the city faces. She stressed her commitment to working with the community to find solutions and improve the quality of life in Pine Bluff.

“Thank you so much for being here tonight. I appreciate all of your comments, your concerns and your suggestions,” she said. “We know we have some challenges in our community, and we’ve heard about them tonight. These are important issues that we must address together.”

Flowers emphasized her commitment to working collaboratively with the community and the Social Impact and Sustainability Committee to develop effective strategies. She encouraged residents to stay engaged and continue providing feedback.

Despite the challenges, Flowers expressed hope and optimism for the future of Pine Bluff. She said she believes that by working together, the community can overcome these obstacles and build a better city.

“I am confident that together, we can make Pine Bluff a better place for everyone,” she said. “Let’s continue this dialogue, let’s continue to work together, and let’s move Pine Bluff forward.”