We CAN End Homelessness in Memphis..but it's up to you.

Mayors Release New Plan to Help Homeless

This week Mayor AC Wharton and Mayor Mark Luttrell will release an action plan developed by the Mayors' Committee to End Homelessness. The Mid-South Peace and Justice Center has been an active participant in the process to formulate this plan. We have advocated for commonsense, community based solutions to the problems of poverty and homelessness in the process. We are happy to announce that many of our recommendations will be included in the final plan, and once implemented, will result in a rapid improvement in the lives of those that find themselves living without homes.

You can download a copy of the report here. We are asking our supporters to call the Mayors this week and thank them for their leadership on this issue. There are some recommendations in this report that may be controversial to some, so it is important that we stand up and support this plan. In particular we are excited that the following will be recommended:

* A systemic switch to a Housing First model when dealing with homeless men, women and families. This replaces a traditional reliance on transitional housing programs.
* The establishment of a free overnight shelter that will offer a minimum of 20 free nights a month.
* Replication of the 1811 Eastlake Project, a model program for housing the chronically homeless.
* An increase in the number of shelter beds available for single women, a shortfall we have been concerned about for years.

These recommendations and more are a great start to turning around the state of homelessness in Memphis. Please take a moment to call Mayor Wharton (901.576.6000) and Mayor Luttrell (901.545.4500) and thank them for their support of the homeless. Don't forget to call your councilmen as well and let them know that you support this plan!


*Also watch this space for volunteer opportunities to assist the city in the 2011 point in time census of the local homeless population. This count is CRUCIAL for our city to get it's proper share of federal dollars to help get our brothers and sisters off of the streets.
Last year the city in a bold move called on volunteers to aid in this count and the process was a huge success, allowing the city and service providers to obtain more accurate and up to date information about the state of homelessness here in our city. The date of the point in time count is Jan 26th and I will be forwarding information on how you can help in the next 24 hours.

Please take the time to look at the plan and forward it to your friends, neighborhood and church groups. We all need to be a part of this. We CAN END HOMELESSNESS in Memphis...IT IS POSSIBLE.