Mid-South Peace & Justice Center

H.O.P.E. Prevents Harmful Budget Cuts

For the second year in a row, H.O.P.E. (Homeless Organizing for Power & Equality) has successfully secured critical funding in the Shelby County budget for homeless services. Last year H.O.P.E. won historic levels of county funding, paving the way for major initiatives such as the 100 Homes Campaign, the creation of 69 new units of supportive housing for families experiencing homelessness, and the creation of a special Veterans Court.

This year, Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell initially proposed budget cuts that would reduce services for the most vulnerable by almost 70%. Thanks to the hard work of H.O.P.E. members and allies, those cuts failed. Instead, $200,000 will be allotted for the Mayors’ Plan to End Homelessness. These funds will be used to provide early outreach and in-home case management, substance abuse treatment, medical and psychiatric care for 100 of the most vulnerable individuals experiencing homelessness in our city. These are individuals who, under current conditions without housing and services, are projected to die within the next two years. The funding secured by H.O.P.E. will help support individuals moving into permanent supportive housing until their Medicare benefits are processed.

Your support has made this program possible. H.O.P.E. will continue to fight for a county where every human being has the right to a life with dignity. Our deepest thanks go to Shelby County Commissioner Steve Mulroy for his help and constant support.

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 homeless 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. For meeting times and dates, call 901-300-0006.

Know Your Rights

On June 22nd, H.O.P.E. members organizing with our ‘Street-Watch’ project hosted a ‘Know Your Rights’ workshop at Holy Community Church at 602 Looney in North Memphis. We had a great turn out and got to meet a lot of new people. Special thanks to Jacob’s Well, H.O.P.E. organizer, Marian Bacon, Jamey Lee of Holy Community Church, and Josh Spickler with theShelby County Office of the Public Defender.  We are looking forward to next month’s workshop, which will be held at the Cathedral of Grace Church in South Memphis.

Street-Watch educates our brothers and sisters on the street about their rights when encountering law enforcement; and, it focuses on how as a community, we can document instances of police harassment and abuse. We believe we can use data compiled from complaints to pinpoint areas where police harassment is most likely to occur, and help identify ‘problem officers’ who believe that a badge and a gun give them the right to treat people on the streets of Memphis like second-class citizens.

Room to Grow

For about a month, H.O.P.E. members have been rolling up theirs sleeves and getting down in the dirt with our Garden Crew.  With the help of Garden Coordinator, Dallas Holland and Julia X, members have been educating themselves about the sustainable food movement, working in community gardens throughout the city, and laying the groundwork for their own garden in Midtown, where many of our members reside.

But, the Garden Crew is about more than just learning how to grow fruits and veggies.  We want to show the community that even if some of us do not have homes, we are still  important; and we have the desire and drive to make the neighborhoods in which we live more beautiful, sustainable, and vibrant places for the entire community.

You can provide support for this project by donating hand rakes, shovels, hoes, garden gloves, wheelbarrows, tarps, untreated lumber, screws, nails, wooden palettes, sling blades, hand pruners, water hose, volunteers, organic seeds, and other assorted garden supplies. (No chemical fertilizer, please.) If you would like to donate supplies, or join us in the garden one day, please contact Dallas Holland at dallasholland@gmail.com

Women United!

The experience of homelessness is uniquely different for women. This is especially true in Memphis where there are few, if any, services for homeless single women who do not have a substance abuse issue. 92% of women experiencing homelessness have suffered severe physical and/or sexual abuse, and  dealt with issues of sexual harassment within in the homeless services system.

This month marked the kick-off for the H.O.P.E. Women’s Caucus; a sub-group of H.O.P.E. that will provide a space where members who identify as women can get mutual emotional support, organize around issues that specifically effect women on the street, and participate self-defense trainings.  For more information on how you can support this project, please contact Ace Madjlesi at acemadjlesi@gmail.com.

Feeding the Movement

H.O.P.E would like to once again thank Just for Lunch and Trolley Stop Market for showing some love by donating meals each month for our weekly H.O.P.E. meetings! We would also like to thank Memphis Center for Independent Living for providing us with space for our meetings while we seek a permanent location. There are lots of ways to feed the movement, and we would like to thank all of our allies for their continued support.

Once a month the membership of the MSPJC comes together to get updated on the work already happening and to set the direction for future work. This month’s meeting is on Wednesday, July 10th, from 6 to 7:30 pm at our offices at 3573 Southern Ave. All members and folks interested in joining should attend. It is a “Potluck If You Can” event, so please bring a dish if you are able. If not, please just bring yourself- we always have plenty of food & drink!

If you would like to have an item added to the agenda or have any comments, questions, or concerns, please send an email to jacob@midsouthpeace.org.

Hope to see you there!

Take some time this summer to support yourself and your learning! Mid-South Peace and Justice Center is offering two unique workshops in July: Emotional Support for Men on Sunday, July 14th from 2 to 6pm, and Parenting from the Heart on Saturday, July 20th from 2 to 5pm. Keep reading for more details on these workshops and for an early look at the workshops coming up in August.  Contact gio@midsouthpeace.org to register.

Emotional Support for Men
Led by Laura Sullivan

In our society, males are conditioned in many dehumanizing ways. For example, males are viewed as not having the same emotional capacity as females, and the expression of feelings is frowned upon. Men are expected to be self-sufficient and to have all the answers to every problem, which leaves them feeling isolated and alone with their struggles.

The ways that men internalize the negative conditioning have daily effects, from holding in emotions and developing physical illnesses as a result, to finding it difficult to have close, healthy relationships with women (not only romantic relationships, but friendships and relationships with female family members). Additionally, men are pitted against each other in competition for material success and as ‘breadwinners’ of their families. Men are also viewed as expendable human beings, trained to be prepared to sacrifice their lives, whether in military situations or in other times of danger.

This workshop will help men to:
• Understand how negative conditioning affects your life and relationships
• Have a safe place to explore past hurts and current patterns based in old hurts
• Become better allies to women and to learn how to interrupt sexism
• Develop close, healthy relationships with women and men
• Release pent-up feelings of grief, shame, fear, anger, and confusion
• Reclaim a sense of your own goodness and worth

This workshop will also address how intersectionality of oppression affects men, for example, how race and class identities intersect with men’s conditioning and experiences. The intersections of young people’s and young adults’ oppressions, as well as LGBTQ oppression, with the socialization and struggles of men will also be discussed.

When: Sunday, July 14, 2-6pm
Where: MSPJC, 3573 Southern Ave. Memphis TN 38111 – wheelchair accessible.
Cost: Sliding scale $20-$45
*Limited to the first 10 people who register.

Donations for workshop scholarships gratefully accepted!

For more information or to register contact Gio López gio@midsouthpeace.org or call the Mid-South Peace and Justice Center at 725-4990.

Parenting from the Heart
Led by Elaine Krueger

Are you looking to have a relationship with your child that is based on mutual understanding and respect?

Do you want to be able to set boundaries and teach the lessons you want to teach through cooperation rather than coercion?

Do you want your children to related to siblings and peers with consideration and support of one another?

Do you want your children to be intrinsically motivated and find strategies to meet their needs that work for themselves AND others?

Do you want to be able to express your frustrations and respond to their frustrations in a way your child will feel safe and loved and you will feel heard?

These issues and more will be addressed in the workshop – Parenting From The Heart: Nonviolent Communication for Parents.

Date: Saturday, July 20
Time: 2p.m. – 5p.m. Please, be on time.
Location: MSPJC, 3573 Southern Ave. Memphis TN 38111- wheelchair accessible
*Limited to the first15 people who register
Cost: $20-$45 Sliding scale.

Some scholarships may be available.
Donations for workshop scholarships gratefully accepted!

This August: G.O.T. PODER – Grassroots Organizers Training for Power in Spanish

MSPJC’s fourth annual grassroots organizer training for the Spanish-speaking community will take place August 9th – 11th. This 16 hour training has been vital for the growth of Latino grassroots organizers in Memphis.

Please help us spread the word about this opportunity to your Latino and bilingual friends.

For more information or to register, please check G.O.T. PODER or contact Gio López atgio@midsouthpeace.org or call the Mid-South Peace and Justice Center at 725-4990.

The Community Police Relations (CPR) project has been in high gear in recent weeks, taking the project into the public realm and inviting others to join us.  On Saturday, June 22nd, CPR put on a forum at the Union Grove Baptist Church in Frayser, hosted by Rangeline CDC.

The two-hour forum kicked off with an introduction by community leader, Cherisse Scott, and Lieutenant Mike Embrey, of the Memphis Police Department. Next,Playback Memphis asked CPR participants to describe their experience as part of this groundbreaking project. Other audience members were invited to share their own personal experiences with community and police relations. The improvisational theater group then acted out the stories that were shared,  bringing to life the emotions, complexity, and issues embedded therein. At the conclusion of the forum, attendees divided into three groups and outlined their view of the problems, proposed solutions, and potential challenges to improved community-police relations.

The long-term nature of the CPR project, the staunch support it receives from the administrations of Memphis Police Department and the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, and the commitment to developing an Action Plan that addresses lasting systemic change differentiate CPR from many previous efforts to solve difficulties between community members and law enforcement. In the coming months, CPR will hold similar forums all over the city, gathering insights shared by community members and law enforcement participants which will be developed into recommendations toward achieving Community and Police Reconciliation.

The Community-Police core group looks forward to working with your communities as we ask the question “What is your vision for Community Police Relations where you live?”

Members from each community visited will be invited to participate in the process leading up to the development of an action plan, based on the community’s need.

On Tuesday, May 21st, the Community-Police Relations (CPR) Core Group invited a host of community leaders to a preview of the “Community-Police Relations in Your Community” forums, that will begin taking place in neighborhoods across the city in late June.  Dozens of attendees came out for the preview on a terribly stormy night- a sign to CPR organizers of the dedication community leaders have in advocating for their communities.

In attendance were not only police ambassadors and neighborhood association leaders, but mothers and fathers who are concerned about safety in their neighborhoods now that summer is here; it’s hot and school is out.

David Waters wrote of the CPR Community Preview in a May 23rd article in The Commercial Appeal:“Safe in Memphis: Fear of, faith in police”

“Police officers and civilians glanced at each other and nodded as coordinators listed the challenges facing the Community-Police Relations Project.  Police shootings and incidents. Constant negative media coverage. Lack of cooperation. Lack of trust.”

“People in some neighborhoods in this city feel like they are being occupied, not protected,” said Brad Watkins, organizing director of the Mid-South Peace and Justice Center, who led Tuesday evening’s gathering at the South Memphis Alliance.

“But the police are not the enemy. Crime is the enemy. The police and the community all agree that crime is a problem. People don’t feel safe.”

For the past nine months, several dozen police officers and community members have been meeting once a month in small groups, trying to get to know each other as neighbors — the first phase of the project.”

Waters highlights the that the CPR project is supported by Memphis Police Relations, Director Tony Armstrong and Sheriff Bill Oldham.  Of the motivation for her participation,  community leader and CPR Core Group member, Cherisse Scott, founder of Sister Reach, said “I’m in this process because I’m the black mother of a black son.  My child has a learned fear of the police that I never taught him. That fear is not perpetuated by me or even the police.  It’s just our ignorance of each other as human beings.”

Media opportunities to highlight officers in a more positive light will be forthcoming from CPR Media Team member Kelvin Cowan of the Tri-State Defender. The project, entitled “Good Blue” will highlight officers who often go unnoticed in our communities for the good they do once they take off their uniform, continuing their mission “to serve and protect.”aters highlights the that the CPR project is supported by Memphis Police Relations, Director Tony Armstrong and Sheriff Bill Oldham.  Of the motivation for her participation,  community leader and CPR Core Group member, Cherisse Scott, founder of Sister Reach, said “I’m in this process because I’m the black mother of a black son.  My child has a learned fear of the police that I never taught him. That fear is not perpetuated by me or even the police.  It’s just our ignorance of each other as human beings.”

CPR organizers realize that they don’t have all of the answers; the problems we face will not be solved overnight.  But we do have a team of supporters led by both community members and dedicated officers who are willing to hold this space to start difficult, but necessary conversations.

We encourage you to get involved with the Community-Police Relations project.   Share your stories and consider the question

“What is your vision for community and police relations in your neighborhood?

The first community forum will be held on June 22, 2013.

CPR Community Forum: Frayser
Saturday, June 22nd
Sign in: 11:30 am.  Forum: noon – 2:00 pm.

Hosted by Rangeline CDC. Union Grove Church, 2285 Frayser Blvd.

For more information please contact:
Melissa Miller-Monie
Organizing Coordinator
(901) 725-4990
email: melissa@midsouthpeace.org

The Vance Avenue Collaborative

Established in 2009, the Vance Avenue Collaborative is a coalition of residents, faith-based organizations, social service agencies, public schools, and area businesses serving the 38126 zip code, also known as the Vance Avenue Neighborhood, inclusive of the last public housing project in Memphis, Foote Homes. Together, for almost two years, with more than 1,000 local stakeholders through a highly participatory “bottom-up” planning process, we generated the Vance Avenue Community Transformation Plan for the U.S. Housing and Urban Development‘s Choice Neighborhood Grant. We will continue planning efforts through the end of June, and will then work with community stakeholders to ensure that the community vision is reflected in Memphis’ Choice Neighborhood Implementation Grant application for the Vance Avenue Neighborhood, due in the coming months.

Please support our efforts and the Vance Avenue Neighborhood by keeping in touch via email atvanceavenueneighborhood@gmail.com, telephone: (901) 678-4787, or by joining our Facebook group via www.facebook.com/groups/vanceavenue. We will make sure you know about upcoming meetings and other ways to be supportive of residents and stakeholders throughout the rest of Memphis’ Choice Neighborhood Grant Initiative. You can also view the Vance Avenue Community Transformation Plan on our Facebook page, or we can email or mail a copy of the plan, per your request.  Thank you for your continued interest and support.

The Green Machine Mobile Food Market

Birthed out of the Vance Avenue neighborhood planning process, the primary goal of the Green Machine is to improve the health status of Memphians who live in economically-challenged neighborhoods where access to fresh food, especially fruits and vegetables, is a daily challenge.

The Green Machine will stop throughout the city in designated “limited food access” neighborhoods, five days a week, Monday – Friday; specifically,  the Green Machine will begin making stops at fifteen affordable housing complexes, senior citizen facilities, community centers, health clinics, and public schools located in neighborhoods without a full service grocery, beginning this summer. The Green Machine’s primary supplier will be the third-generation, locally-owned, Easy-Way Produce Stores; during the local-growing season more than 80% of the products sold on the bus will be grown within a 200-mile radius of the Bluff City. The bus will accept all forms of EBT payments and most state and federal food vouchers, debit and credit cards, and cash. Along with fresh local produce, the market will offer information on community services, healthcare tips, special guest appearances, and the services of volunteers from diverse professional sectors to support a full-circle healthy community.

This is a project supported by Saint Patrick Community Outreach Inc. and the Vance Avenue Collaborative, with the assistance of MATA, Healthy Memphis Common Table, and the University of Memphis’ Graduate Program in City and Regional Planning, with additional financial support by many local foundations. For more information on the Green Machine and to find out about start dates, please check out Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/TheGreenMachineMobileFoodMarket. 

The Memphis Area Transit Authority (MATA) is the largest transit agency in the state of Tennessee. Ninety percent of bus riders used fixed route buses. Sixty percent are using the bus to get to work. MATA is facing a total $5.4 million budget shortfall due to cuts in funding from federal and city government. This continues an alarming pattern of budget cuts that have already caused a 30% reduction in public transportation service over the past five years. 

Mayor Wharton’s current proposed budget includes a cut of $2.4 million from the City’s capital improvements budget allotment to MATA .

The Memphis Bus Riders Union is organizing bus riders and advocates to stand together outside City Hall at 125 N. Main St. on Tuesday, June 18th at 3:00 pm for a press conference and rally in support of adequate funding for public transportation. Cuts to public transportation have a devastating effect on our city’s economy, racial equity, and environmental sustainability. Please join us in urging our elected officials to prioritize the needs of Memphis’ residents.

In recent tears, MATA has already lost around $3 million in federal and state funding.  “If MATA continues to be cut at this percentage will be forced to shut down in 15 years” said MATA President, William Hudson, speaking at a FY 2014 budget hearing.

To balance the budget in light of a $5.4 million shortfall, MATA has proposed to eliminate several bus routes and reduce service hours by 20%. Here are some details from the proposal:

• Cut #5 Central
  Cuts to the #5 route from downtown to the University of Memphis would affect students traveling from the midtown and downtown areas.
• Cut #6 Northaven
  Frayser and most other areas of North Memphis already have minimal bus service. In the past year, route #19 was cut from Chelsea Avenue, forcing residents to walk several miles to the nearest bus route. The area would be adversely affected again by proposed changes to the #10 Watkins and elimination of the #6 Northaven routes. 
• Cut #15 President’s Island

  President’s Island has an estimated 4,000 – 5,000 jobs. Cutting the bus route would significantly affect low-income citizens who work at factories there.

• Cut #58 Fox Meadows
  This is the route from downtown to Hickory Hill; it passes by Southwest Community College as well as several large shopping centers.
• Cut #82 Germantown Parkway
  Service to Cordova High School and surrounding community, as well as Germantown Le Bonheur Methodist, and Wolfchase Galleria
• Combine the #10 Watkins, #32 E. Parkway, and #43 Elvis Presley routes.
  Combining these routes would mean fewer bus stops in  Whitehaven and Frayser.  The #10 Watkins bus would no longer go downtown to the North End Terminal, a major transfer point for all routes.
• Cut service hours by 20%
  Weeknight service would end at 9:15 pm instead of 11:15 pm, affecting many riders who use the bus to get home from evening and night shift jobs.
• Weekend service would end one hour earlier
  Service on many holidays, such as Christmas and Thanksgiving, would be eliminated.

What actions are needed to stop the cuts?

• Council members must amend the budget to increasing funding for MATA                                                             
• Memphis must stand together and demand a more equitable balance of the city budget. Tell our elected officials to keep their hands of our buses! Every Council members district will be adversely affected by these service cuts. Call your district representative!

Join us Tuesday, June 18th at City Hall, 125 N. Main for a press conference at 3:00 pm. Then, join us in the council chambers to show support for public transportation and equal access for all  Memphis residents!

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 homeless 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. For meeting times and dates, call 901-300-0006.

End “Play to Stay!”

For over a month now, H.O.P.E. has remained committed to weekly direct actions in order to publicly confront the Beers Van Gogh Center of Excellence. The Beers Center is supposed to provide peer counseling, shelter, and other services to people with severe and persistent mental illness, but for over a year, H.O.P.E. has been receiving complaints about sexual harassment of staff and clients, physical assault, and other illicit activities being perpetrated by one staff person in particular.

We demand that this individual be terminated from his position immediately and that the Tennessee Mental Health Consumer Association, which runs the Beers Van Gogh Center, put in place strong accountability and oversight measures to ensure that predators are not employed in a position where they may prey on vulnerable people. HOPE is now working with investigators from Tennessee Department of Mental Health and the Office of Inspector General, as well as the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation to make sure we have swift justice for our people. H.O.P.E. members and allies have gathered every Thursday at 12 o’clock, noon in front of the center to directly confront exploitation of people experiencing homelessness by predators and poverty pimps.

We are aware that this is just one example of an issue that is all too familiar to many of our sisters and brothers on the street and we are asking for your support! We will continue to hold weekly protests, every Thursday at 12, Noon in front of the Beers Van Gogh Center, located at 669 Madison Avenue, until we have justice for our people! Please join us!

Branching Out: All Hands on Deck! 

H.O.P.E. is taking a leap to the next level.  We now have five different volunteer project coordinators that will be assisting our members in developing some very exciting projects!

Street-Wise Ink is a co-operative silk screening business specializing in printing t-shirts. It is owned, operated, and directed by people with a personal experience of homelessness.  For several months, our members have been working hard to formulate by-laws and a business plan, familiarize themselves with the silk-screening process, and train new members. We are preparing to begin taking orders from local organizations and businesses, as well as developing our own retail line. We are currently reaching out to local churches and others in the community to find permanent space to house our operations. If you or someone you know is interested in providing space or other support for Street-Wise Ink, please contact Leanna Hicks at leannahicks8@gmail.com.

The Garden Crew is another member-led project of H.O.P.E. that is focusing on developing community gardens. We are working to establish relationships with within the community to beautify our neighborhoods and to educate ourselves on food independence.

This is a very ambitious project; any material support you can offer would be greatly appreciated. We need pitch-forks, hand rakes, shovels, hoes, garden gloves, wheelbarrows, tarps, untreated lumber, screws, nails, wooden palettes, sling blades, hand pruners, water hose, volunteers, organic seeds, and other assorted garden supplies. (No chemical fertilizer, please.) If you would like to donate supplies, or join us in the garden one day, contact Dallas Hollandat dallasholland@gmail.com

Street Watch is a project of H.O.P.E. focused on educating individuals experiencing homelessness about their rights and on how to document potential cases of police harassment and abuse. Street Watch will be organizing street teams with video cameras to document and highlight the harsh realities of life on the streets of Memphis. Currently we are hosting a series of ‘Know Your Rights’ workshops with the public defender’s office. The next workshop is scheduled for June 22^nd at Holy Community Church. We will be doing street outreach in the coming weeks focused in the downtown area where we get the most complaints of police harassment. For more information on how you can support this cause, contactBrandon Shaw of Subliminal Thought at mrbcjs@gmail.com

H.O.P.E. Women’s Caucus 

92% of women experiencing homelessness have suffered severe physical and/or sexual abuse, and have dealt with issues of sexual harassment, rampant in the 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.  The H.O.P.E. Women’s Caucus will provide a space where members who identify as women can get mutual emotional support,  and also participate in twice-a-month self-defense trainings. For more information on how you can support this project, please contact Ace Madjlesi at acemadjlesi@gmail.com.

Feeding the Movement

H.O.P.E would like to once again thank Just for Lunch and Trolley Stop Market for showing some love by donating meals each month for our weekly H.O.P.E. meetings! We would also like to thank Memphis Center for Independent Living for providing us with space for our meetings while we seek a permanent location. 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!

Stop The Cuts! Tax Electrolux!

It’s “budget season” here in Memphis.  As Mayor A C  Wharton and city officials present their budget proposals, the grassroots organization, Memphis Bus Riders Union (MBRU) is on the streets getting riders organized and ready for action.

Memphis Area Transit Authority (MATA) is preparing to receive another cut in City funding to the tune of $2.4 million, raising the total budget shortfall to $5 million.  To balance the FY 2014 budget, MATA officials propose to cut service hours by 20%, ending all service at 9:00 pm, to eliminate five bus routes (#5 Central, #6 Northaven, #15 Presidents Island,  #58 Fox Meadows Express, and #82 Germantown Parkway), and to discontinue service on Thanksgiving,among other holidays. In addition, MATA has proposed to combine and scale down routes #10 Watkins, #32 E. Parkway, and #43 Elvis Presley.

Organizers from MBRU attended a budget hearing with MATA and city council members where the president of MATA, William Hudson spoke about the plans, stating that he will “balance the budget”, but offering no details on how to compensate for the $5 million shortfall.

H.O.P.E. ACTION ALERTS!

Call Your County Commissioners Today to Prevent Cuts to Homeless Services!

Call your Shelby County Commissioners TODAY at (901) 222-1000 and tell them to support continued funding for badly needed homeless services.

Please join us at the Shelby County Commission on MONDAY, JUNE 3rd at 1:30 pm and pull a comment card to make your voice heard.

SHELBY COUNTY COMMISSION
Vasco A. Smith, Jr. County Administration Building
160 N. Main Street, Memphis, TN 38103

Homeless Organizing for Power and Equality (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.

The DEMAND DIGNITY Campaign  is the umbrella name give to a series of mobilizations launched by H.O.P.E. around the need for supportive housing and protecting the most vulnerable among us.

Last year H.O.P.E. fought for and won historic levels of funding in the County Budget process. This paved the way for major steps forward like the “100 Homes Campaign”, the creation of 69 new units of supportive housing for families experiencing homelessness, and a special Veterans Court. We thank each of you for your past support, but we need your help again this year to ensure that this badly needed funding continues!

H.O.P.E. is requesting $220,000 of County funding for the Mayors’ Plan to End Homelessness. These funds will be used to provide early outreach and In home case management, substance abuse treatment, medical and psychiatric care for 100 of the most vulnerable individuals experiencing homelessness in our city. These are individuals who, under current conditions, are projected 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 these 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.  Your support made this program possible in the first place; please stand with us as we continue to fight for a County where every human being has the right to a life with dignity.

At the May 29th Shelby County Commission budget hearing, an attempt by Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell to cut wrap around services for the most vulnerable by almost 70% failed to pass in committee, thanks to your work and support.  Our deepest thanks go to Shelby County Commissioner Steve Mulroy for his help and constant support.  However, it’s not over yet.  We need you to join us Monday at the Shelby County Commission meeting to seal the deal.

PLEASE CALL YOUR SHELBY COUNTY COMMISSIONERS TODAY AT (901) 222-1000 and tell them to support continued funding for badly needed “Wrap Around” services.

PLEASE JOIN US AT THE SHELBY COUNTY COMMISSION,MONDAY, JUNE 3rd at 1:30pm and pull a comment card to make your voice heard.

SHELBY COUNTY COMMISSION
Vasco A. Smith, Jr. County Administration Building
160 N. Main Street, Memphis, TN 38103

Note: Everyone has three commissioners. You can look up your commissioners here. You can find emails for commissioners here.