(H.O.P.E.) is the name of a Mid-South Peace and Justice Center sponsored organization whose members are exclusively people who are currently or have formerly experienced homelessness. Fresh off the heels of victory in our ROAD HOME campaign, where H.O.P.E. won more than $500,000 of County funding for homeless and veterans issues this organization is eager to continue the fight for our people.
Dignity & Self-Determination: A “Street Wise” Co-op
One of H.O.P.E.’s long-term projects is the formation of Street-Wise Ink, a worker-owned tee shirt printing co-op to facilitate part time income sources for its members. H.O.P.E. members have been attending workshops where they are being trained in silkscreen printing to create t-shirts for organizations, church youth organizations, political campaigns and grassroots organizing groups. This service will be fully owned and operated by the members themselves.
H.O.P.E. members involved in the co-op have also been attending regular weekly meetings to discuss the business aspect of running a co-op; drafting by-laws, a feasibility study, and business plan, as well as discussing membership dues, pay structure, and branding. Most recently, the co-op has been designing and printing shirts for the Mid-South Peace and Justice center to sell at the Cooper-Young festival on Saturday, September 15.
If you are interested in contributing your support to this project, please contact Paul Garner @901.725.4990
Solidarity: “H.O.P.E. for 100”
In July, H.O.P.E. joined as a member of the Memphis/Shelby Homelessness Consortium. The Consortium is made up of more than 40 member agencies, led by the Community Alliance for the Homeless, a nonprofit that provides planning, technical assistance and service coordination to public and private agencies working to end homelessness in Shelby County.
H.O.P.E. member Robbie Howard is the group’s official representative on this body and has been attending the committee meetings for Outreach & Chronic Homelessness. Back in May, H.O.P.E. secured $510,000 in the county budget for homeless services. $250,000 of these funds is set aside 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. Now, H.O.P.E. and the Community Alliance for the Homeless need your help. We are seeking volunteers to assist in street outreach to identify 100 unsheltered individuals who qualify for these services and get them off the street by Christmas of 2012. If you are interested in assisting in this process, please register here.
Mutual Emotional Support: H.O.P.E. For Steve :: Update!
H.O.P.E is pleased to announce that we have raised enough funds to help our member, Steve pay his rent for the month of September! We would like to thank everyone who has made a contribution to help Steve in his time of need. Thanks to you and the generosity of other H.O.P.E. supporters, we were able to raise enough funds to keep Steve in his place and off the streets for another month while he awaits the start of his disability benefits. H.O.P.E. is committed to ending homelessness here in Memphis and across the US, however we realize that if we can keep one individual from falling through the cracks of society, it is just as important as addressing the systemic issues of inequity that cause homelessness. We appreciate your continued support in this struggle and want you to know that by answering the call, you have made a huge difference for Steve by not only giving him the security of a roof over his head, but also the piece of mind that he is not alone in his personal struggle for a brighter future. Steve will continue to work with H.O.P.E. to advocate for himself and others who are caught in similar situations. Please spread the good news to your friends and family!