Archives for May 2012

Homeless Organizing for Power and Equality (H.O.P.E.) is the name of a Mid-South Peace and Justice Center sponsored organization who’s members are exclusively people who are currently or have formerly experienced homelessness.

H.O.P.E is currently working very hard to organize around issues of core concern in this year’s Shelby County Commission budget proceedings.

The Road Home is the umbrella name give to three specific funding requests that H.O.P.E. is making before the Shelby County Commission addressing housing and the intersections between homelessness and criminal justice.

1. H.O.P.E. is requesting  $250,000 of County funding for the Mayors’ Plan to End Homelessness. These funds will be used to provide early outreach and In home case management and wrap around services for 100 of the most vulnerable individuals experiencing homelessness in our city. These are individuals who are projected under current conditions to die within the next two years without housing and services. These funds will bridge the gap for these individuals moving into permanent supportive housing until their Medicare benefits are processed. Without such funds the new units of housing available for those grappling with addiction and mental illness and other health related issues will be set up to fail. This will aid the Community Alliance for the Homeless in reaching the goal of housing 100 unsheltered individuals by Christmas of 2012.

2. H.O.P.E. is requesting a one time expenditure of $200,000 of capital improvement funds to convert blighted and MHA properties into permanent supportive housing. For an investment of $200,000 we can provide new units of permanent supportive housing for 25 homeless families with disabilities and 43 units of permanent affordable housing for low income families over the course of the next 36 months.

3. H.O.P.E. is requesting $100,000 in operational funding in support of Judge Bill Anderson’s proposal of a Veteran’s Court within General Sessions Division 7. H.O.P.E. stands in full support of Judge Bill Anderson’s proposal for the creation of a Veterans Court within General Sessions Court. This Court will help veterans who suffer from the trauma or war to be diverted out of the Criminal justice system and into programs suited to address their needs with dignity beginning July 1st of 2012.  As 20%-30% of those experiencing homelessness are veterans this is a core issue of concern to H.O.P.E.

The training started with one of the most successful slogans in the past 40 years: “We are the 99%!”

But who are the 99%? Have you ever thought that you were part of the 99%?  What does it mean to be part of the 99%? Who are the 1%? Those and many other questions were answered after sharing in the 99% Spring Action Training, Dozens of trainings took place all around the country, getting together approximately 100,000 people concerned about the issues happening in our country. This included people who already are involved in some kind of social action or people who only want to know what this 99% concept is about.

The training included information about the origin of the 99% concept, the history of the economy break down and the history of the effectiveness of the Non-violent Direct Action.

The most moving moment of this training, from my point view, was to share our own concerns based in our own experiences, taking into account that we were a very diverse group, and that we have diversity of ethnicity, culture, economic background, language, religious beliefs and sexual orientation. In spite of all of that, we identified our similarities in the struggle and realized that every single one of the participants is trying hard to survive in this broken social and economic system.

Understanding that the people have the power to make changes without using violence is a huge accomplishment, putting it into action is the challenge.

We, the people, take the challenge. We come out to speak like we did in the non-violent action of May 1st. In solidarity with Homelessness Organized for Power and Equality (H.O.P.E),  a Mid-South Peace and Justice Center sponsored organization who’s members exclusively are people who currently or formerly have experienced homelessness.

The May 1st action highlighted the injustice that our state government has committed using the law SB2508 against people most affected by the inequality of our economy system, people who experience homelessness.

This law SB2508 makes it a Class A Misdemeanor to sleep on public property owned by the state.  Criminalizing poverty is not a solution, but is a marginalization of those who are most in need.  And we need to be aware of this as a community who cares, because there are in fact several laws, like the anti-immigration laws, that also are criminalizing those who are most in need among us.

What we need is education, not marginalization.  What we need is to empower ourselves; to take charge of our country, our economy, our society and create justice through peace.

If you want to know more about this training or other trainings, please contact us at Mid-South Peace and Justice Center 901-725-4990 or by email at gio@midsouthpeace.org

*Nuestros entrenamientos también están disponibles en Español* 

Our trainings are also available in Spanish.

A proposal coming before the Shelby County Board of Commissioners could muffle opposition to controversial land developments. Child impact statements currently provide a comprehensive means to communicate—to the county commission and city council—the concerns of children, families, and entire neighborhoods over new land developments that could affect their health, safety, education, and physical environment. Right now, the county commission and city council cannot consider any proposed resolution or ordinance involving safety, health, education, or land use without first receiving a child impact statement. The land use requirement could be lost if a proposed change to the Commission’s rules of order is passed.

Keep our kids safe from land use decisions that allow industrial and other unwanted developments to locate next door to homes and schools—blighting our neighborhoods and endangering our children’s health and safety. Please sign our petition at:

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/494/273/301/urge-shelby-county-commissioners-to-keep-protecting-kids/

Commissioner Mike Ritz will propose to do away with considerations for children and families in land use decisions on Wednesday, May 16th during the commission’s public committee meeting. We are asking that all concerned contact their county commissioners and Commissioner Ritz to voice opposition to any resolution that would weaken the use of child impact statements. We also urge all to attend the county commission meeting on May 16th. Time and room location to follow.

To locate contact information for your county commissioner, go to http://www.shelbycountytn.gov/index.aspx?NID=1209  or http://shelbyvote.com/index.aspx?NID=122

For more information contact Mike Schmidt at 901-568-8273 or mschmidt@memphis.edu.