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. For over a year now, H.O.P.E. has been organizing and agitating around the issues that are a priority to the homeless community.
Dignity: Police Harassment
For almost a year now, H.O.P.E. has been meeting at the Manna House every Thursday night from 6 p.m.- 8 p.m. For our members, H.O.P.E. meetings are a safe space to share thoughts, ideas and struggles in a secure, supportive environment. While we regularly talk about the harassment of individuals experiencing homelessness by law enforcement, we have never had an instance at our meetings when that safe space was violated by MPD until Thursday Nov.15. Two MPD squad cars made a U-turn and pulled up on the remaining eight members present. The officers harassed members and eventually issued citations for “obstructing a sidewalk” to three members. H.O.P.E. members have filed complaints with MPD and representatives of H.O.P.E. along with members of the Community Police Relations team have since met with Major Casad of the Crump Precinct concerning the incident. H.O.P.E. will be coordinating a series of meetings, beginning in late January, with our members and officers in the area to begin a process of dialog and improving relations. H.O.P.E. will also be organizing a series of KNOW YOUR RIGHTS WORKSHOPS for people experiencing homelessness and work with our brothers and sisters on the streets to enact aSTREETWATCH campaign to confront and address instances of Police harassment of people experiencing homelessness. This program will work closely with Major Casad and Internal Affairs to ensure that these issues are addressed in a proper manner.
H.O.P.E. members who were cited on these bogus charges will have their day in court; January 14, 2013 at 1:30 PM in General Sessions court room 1. We would like to invite all friends and allies to come and show your support!
Self Determination: H.O.P.E. Women’s Caucus
Domestic violence is the leading cause of Homelessness among women and 92% of women experiencing homelessness have suffered severe physical AND/or sexual abuse and we have dealt with issues of rampant sexual harassment in our own homeless services system. As homelessness among those who identify as women is a distinct experience we need an organizing space made up of women to address and confront these issues. Saturday, December 15th marked the first meeting of the H.O.P.E. Women’s Caucus. These meetings work in two parts.The first is a series of women only emotional healing sessions at Caritas Village led by Laura Sullivan where members can share past experiences and mutually support each other. The second is a series of Self-Defense classes taught by the Krav Maga Center of Memphis. The members of this caucus upon completing this first six month series of trainings and will in turn mentor the next class of members in this process. This will lay the foundation for transformative grassroots organizing around issues of domestic violence,Sexual assault, and the lack of adequate shelter and housing assistance for women experiencing homelessness.
Solidarity: Annual Point in Time Count, WE NEED YOU!
The Point in Time Count is an annual count of people experiencing street homelessness on one given day of the year, which is required by the Department of Housing and Urban Development to retain federal funding for homeless programs. It is also important that the results from the count provide an accurate reflection of homelessness in Memphis. Volunteers will be talking one-on-one with any unsheltered individual willing to be interviewed. The Community Alliance for the Homeless then use this data to move forward with securing housing and other services. Groups of five will go to certain precincts throughout the city in order to visit soup kitchens, crisis centers, shelters, and other offices where homeless Memphians congregate during the day. H.O.P.E. members, many of whom are themselves currently on the street will be assisting in this years count but we need your help too! The annual Point in Time Count will be Jan. 23, 2013 5:00 am-7:00 pm. you can register here! There are multiple shifts that you can volunteer for based on your availability. please contact the Community Alliance for the Homeless for more details via theirwebsite or by phone: (901) 527-1302
Mutual Emotional Support: Gemembering our fallen brothers and sisters
Last month, Memphis Health Center invited members of H.O.P.E. to attend their memorial service to honor the memory of men and women who have died while experiencing homelessness in Memphis within the past year. It was a particularly meaningful event for members of H.O.P.E. who recently lost member, Tommy Burchett, when he died unexpectedly of a heart attack in November. Unfortunately many of our brothers and sisters who die while on the streets have no one to recognize their passing and it is a reminder of why we do the work we do.
Unfortunately we are reminded again, this month of the fragility of life and the need for better services for those less privileged. Manna House (1268 Jefferson) will host a memorial service for Carol Pennington next Monday, January 7 at 4:30pm. Carol, a former guest at Manna House, who died late last month of complications from a heart attack. We ask that you keep her friends and loved ones in your thoughts and prayers.
Feeding the Movement:
H.O.P.E would like to once again thank Just for Lunch and Trolley Stop Market for making a commitment to donate meals each month for our weekly H.O.P.E. meetings at The Manna House! There are lots of ways to feed the movement, and we would like to thank all of our allies for their continued support.
If you are interested in how you can support the work of H.O.P.E. members, please contact Paul Garner @ 901.725.4990 or paul@midsouthpeace.org and don’t forget to like us on Facebook for more H.O.P.E. updates!