Today’s update includes a few notes about unemployment as directed by Governor Tate Reeves’ press conference today, information about curbside pickup at the Hattiesburg library, a helpline from Pine Grove Behavioral Health & Addiction Services and an additional way for you to give back to the community during this time.

Unemployment
Please note, that while we are sharing the information below about unemployment services for Mississippi residents – the City of Hattiesburg does not manage this program. If you have questions or concerns, send us a message and we’ll do our best to answer them or connect you with the best path forward.

Mississippi Department of Employment Security has experienced unprecedented traffic for unemployment claims. Due to this, they’ve increased the manpower for their call center and added a second line to help with questions and concerns while filing. The following information may be helpful in regard to filing for unemployment.

File a Claim: https://accessms.mdes.ms.gov/
If you have trouble filing a claim, you can contact the MDES Contact Center at 1-888-772-0061 or 1-888-844-3577 between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m., daily. Please be mindful that these lines have a high call volume.
If you have questions and cannot get through to the call center, the WIN Job Centers are also able to assist you by phone. For Forrest County, you can call 601-584-1202.
MDES has also provided a page of FAQs. We recommend looking through the list first to see if your question can easily be answered through that method: https://mdes.ms.gov/covid19?#COVID19WorkerFAQs

Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA)
In addition to standard unemployment filings, individuals who are unable to work because of COVID-19 can also apply for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA). If you have already filed and been denied for regular unemployment since being out of work due to COVID-19, you do not have to file a new claim. You will be notified of your potential PUA eligibility and any additional action needed on your part.

If you have not filed a claim for unemployment benefits since off work due to COVID-19, you should file a claim online at www.mdes.ms.gov or call 1-833-919-0334 if you require assistance.

According to DMES, those who may be eligible include:

Self-employed individuals
Independent contractors
Persons employed by a church or religious entity
Employees of non-profit organizations
Gig economy workers

To learn more about eligibility or more about this process, visit https://mdes.ms.gov/…/covid19/pandemic-unemployment-assist…/.

Hattiesburg Library & Curbside Pickup
The Library of Hattiesburg, Petal, and Forrest County will resume curbside pickup on Wednesday, April 22. The service is available Monday – Saturday, 8 a.m. until 1 p.m.

To learn more: bit.ly/CurbSide.

1-888-574-HOPE | COVID-19 Stress & Anxiety Helpline
Pine Grove Behavioral Health & Addiction Services, one of the nation’s most comprehensive treatment campuses, is working to help Mississippi’s citizens during this pandemic by providing a free community support line related to COVID-19 Stress and Anxiety. This emotional support line is intended for adults ages 18 years old and older, and the number to call is 1-888-574-HOPE (4673). The support line hours of operation begin statewide on Monday, April 20th, 2020, and the line will be open and ready to accept calls daily from 8 AM to midnight, 12 AM.

Give Back
Because it’s #TheHattiesburgWay, there are several opportunities for you to give back to those directly affected by COVID-19. Below, we’re highlighting one of many.

The #BetterTogetherMS campaign is selling T-shirts to raise money for our community members who have been greatly affected by COVID-19 👉 https://bit.ly/2XSLCiS

All proceeds will go to The Mississippi Association of United Ways to fund COVID-19 relief efforts all over the state for households who have lost income due to measures taken to slow the spread of COVID-19.