1 00:00:01,134 --> 00:00:02,102 - (female announcer)   Production funding for 2 00:00:02,102 --> 00:00:05,372 Behind the Headlines   is made possible in part by 3 00:00:05,372 --> 00:00:07,541 the WKNO Production Fund, 4 00:00:07,541 --> 00:00:09,676 the WKNO Endowment Fund, 5 00:00:09,676 --> 00:00:13,280 and by viewers   like you. Thank you. 6 00:00:13,280 --> 00:00:16,450 - A major new effort to help the homeless in Memphis, 7 00:00:16,450 --> 00:00:18,352 tonight on Behind the Headlines. 8 00:00:18,352 --> 00:00:21,622 [intense orchestral music] 9 00:00:35,769 --> 00:00:37,371 I'm Eric Barnes with The Daily Memphian. 10 00:00:37,371 --> 00:00:38,705 Thanks for joining us. 11 00:00:38,705 --> 00:00:40,974 I am joined tonight by Kelcey Johnson 12 00:00:40,974 --> 00:00:42,743 Executive Director of the Hospitality Hub. 13 00:00:42,743 --> 00:00:43,577 Thanks for being here. 14 00:00:43,577 --> 00:00:44,811 - Good to see you. 15 00:00:44,811 --> 00:00:46,914 - Ellen Roberds is a Principal at Dragonfly. 16 00:00:46,914 --> 00:00:47,848 Thank you for being here. 17 00:00:47,848 --> 00:00:49,283 - Thanks for having us. 18 00:00:49,283 --> 00:00:51,852 - Along with Bill Dries reporter with The Daily Memphian. 19 00:00:51,852 --> 00:00:54,421 Let's talk, I guess maybe we start with 20 00:00:54,421 --> 00:00:57,090 some sense of the scope and scale 21 00:00:57,090 --> 00:01:00,260 of the homelessness problem and the homelessness challenge. 22 00:01:00,260 --> 00:01:02,429 So I'll go to you on that Kelcey, in terms of, 23 00:01:02,429 --> 00:01:04,164 and I don't know how you quantify it, 24 00:01:04,164 --> 00:01:07,868 but the number of people and the ages of people, 25 00:01:07,868 --> 00:01:11,104 how do you quantify the challenge and the problem? 26 00:01:11,104 --> 00:01:13,674 - Well, we have a diverse homeless population 27 00:01:13,674 --> 00:01:16,009 here in Memphis. 28 00:01:17,144 --> 00:01:19,379 The bigger part, of course, African-American 29 00:01:19,379 --> 00:01:21,949 but you see some of everybody 30 00:01:21,949 --> 00:01:24,918 'cause anybody can experience homelessness. 31 00:01:24,918 --> 00:01:29,189 We're on track to count, by way of intake, 32 00:01:29,189 --> 00:01:32,292 twenty-seven hundred homeless people here in 2021, 33 00:01:32,292 --> 00:01:34,695 there was 2,500 or so last year. 34 00:01:34,695 --> 00:01:36,863 And when I say by way of intake, 35 00:01:36,863 --> 00:01:38,799 that means if I bring you in 36 00:01:38,799 --> 00:01:41,735 and sit down with you for the first time, 37 00:01:41,735 --> 00:01:43,003 I never count you again. 38 00:01:43,003 --> 00:01:45,405 - Okay, and that's through the hub 39 00:01:45,405 --> 00:01:46,606 or through any of the various myriad- 40 00:01:46,606 --> 00:01:48,542 - That's just through the hub. 41 00:01:48,542 --> 00:01:50,377 - So the total number of homeless 42 00:01:50,377 --> 00:01:52,546 could be twice that maybe. 43 00:01:52,546 --> 00:01:53,113 - I don't think it would be twice that, 44 00:01:53,113 --> 00:01:57,684 but it'll probably push close to 3500, 4000. 45 00:01:57,684 --> 00:01:59,252 - Go ahead. 46 00:01:59,252 --> 00:02:00,520 - The thing that's unique about the Hospitality Hub 47 00:02:00,520 --> 00:02:02,756 is everyone sends you to us. 48 00:02:02,756 --> 00:02:05,158 Be it shelter program, be it the police, 49 00:02:05,158 --> 00:02:07,694 be it people who you run into on the street. 50 00:02:07,694 --> 00:02:09,463 If you're somebody who's experiencing homelessness, 51 00:02:09,463 --> 00:02:11,131 people are gonna send you to us. 52 00:02:11,131 --> 00:02:13,667 People who exit jail and prison come to us. 53 00:02:13,667 --> 00:02:17,270 The VA, since veterans who are getting out 54 00:02:17,270 --> 00:02:20,173 are homeless or housing insecure, they send them to us. 55 00:02:20,173 --> 00:02:22,275 And so we get a large number 56 00:02:22,275 --> 00:02:23,910 of those people who are homeless. 57 00:02:23,910 --> 00:02:26,613 - Yeah, on your website, you list the partners. 58 00:02:26,613 --> 00:02:29,316 And it's a list that I to try to get through. 59 00:02:29,316 --> 00:02:31,485 Churches, clergy, government agencies, 60 00:02:31,485 --> 00:02:33,754 other nonprofits, other missions, 61 00:02:33,754 --> 00:02:37,290 all kinds of places that you all work with. 62 00:02:37,290 --> 00:02:40,227 So you're located, before I get to Ellen here. 63 00:02:40,227 --> 00:02:42,596 You're you are located now downtown. 64 00:02:42,596 --> 00:02:43,930 You have multiple locations or do you- 65 00:02:43,930 --> 00:02:46,700 - We have the Hospitality Hub proper 66 00:02:46,700 --> 00:02:50,137 is at our plaza at 590 Washington Avenue 67 00:02:50,137 --> 00:02:52,339 and our larger building is under construction, 68 00:02:52,339 --> 00:02:53,907 right behind that building. 69 00:02:53,907 --> 00:02:56,410 We have another property called the Hub Hotel, 70 00:02:56,410 --> 00:03:00,280 which is located in midtown, 28 North Claybrook. 71 00:03:00,280 --> 00:03:03,450 And then we have another property called Hub House 72 00:03:03,450 --> 00:03:04,951 and that's in south Memphis. 73 00:03:04,951 --> 00:03:08,622 But our main building is at 590 Washington Avenue. 74 00:03:08,622 --> 00:03:10,123 - Okay. 75 00:03:10,123 --> 00:03:12,259 I might bring Ellen in and there is a massive project, 76 00:03:12,259 --> 00:03:14,795 I mean, the hub has been around for quite some time, 77 00:03:14,795 --> 00:03:16,663 but the new thing is this massive project. 78 00:03:16,663 --> 00:03:18,932 And I think at some point we'll have some renderings 79 00:03:18,932 --> 00:03:22,202 of what's going in down it's what Poplar, 80 00:03:22,202 --> 00:03:25,238 and Danny Thomas and Washington, 81 00:03:25,238 --> 00:03:27,207 do I have the basically bordered by those? 82 00:03:27,207 --> 00:03:30,110 - Yes, actually at the same site on the, where... 83 00:03:30,110 --> 00:03:32,779 So right now we're working out of what we call the plaza, 84 00:03:32,779 --> 00:03:35,015 which was originally set up as a satellite site, 85 00:03:35,015 --> 00:03:37,751 as we built the building for our location, 86 00:03:37,751 --> 00:03:39,586 which was at 82 North 2nd. 87 00:03:39,586 --> 00:03:41,888 With the pandemic, our lives changed pretty dramatically, 88 00:03:41,888 --> 00:03:44,057 Kelcey and his staff in particular. 89 00:03:44,057 --> 00:03:46,993 And so the Hub Hotel became a pandemic response, 90 00:03:46,993 --> 00:03:48,862 The Hub House became a pandemic response 91 00:03:48,862 --> 00:03:51,698 for non-congregate shelter options for folks. 92 00:03:51,698 --> 00:03:52,899 In the meanwhile, 93 00:03:52,899 --> 00:03:54,901 we shifted from 82 North 2nd to the plaza 94 00:03:54,901 --> 00:03:56,403 because it's safer. 95 00:03:56,403 --> 00:03:58,839 It's safer for the staff 'cause they have more space. 96 00:03:58,839 --> 00:04:00,740 It's actually outside where they're working 97 00:04:00,740 --> 00:04:03,176 and able to do intensive case management with folks. 98 00:04:03,176 --> 00:04:05,846 So adjacent to the plaza is where we're building 99 00:04:05,846 --> 00:04:09,616 the building and an extended part of that plaza public park. 100 00:04:09,616 --> 00:04:12,052 - Public park, and this is the property, 101 00:04:12,052 --> 00:04:13,720 the other people may be familiar. 102 00:04:13,720 --> 00:04:15,422 This was the inspection station, 103 00:04:15,422 --> 00:04:16,923 the downtown inspection station 104 00:04:16,923 --> 00:04:19,159 when we still did that in Memphis and it was a massive 105 00:04:19,159 --> 00:04:23,130 and sometimes these massive 10 rows of lines of people 106 00:04:23,130 --> 00:04:24,397 coming in and out. 107 00:04:24,397 --> 00:04:27,868 Your role with Dragonfly in this project is what? 108 00:04:27,868 --> 00:04:29,636 - So Dragonfly is a social impact firm, 109 00:04:29,636 --> 00:04:31,738 and we have a number of projects that we do, 110 00:04:31,738 --> 00:04:34,307 but the hub is sort of near and dear to the hearts. 111 00:04:34,307 --> 00:04:37,911 I worked downtown 14 years ago when downtown churches 112 00:04:37,911 --> 00:04:39,379 created the hub. 113 00:04:39,379 --> 00:04:41,815 And so I was part of the founding group for the hub. 114 00:04:41,815 --> 00:04:44,117 And I've been involved in a number of ways since then. 115 00:04:44,117 --> 00:04:47,287 And so now Dragonfly provides support doing fundraising, 116 00:04:47,287 --> 00:04:51,057 capacity building, HR, financials, 117 00:04:51,057 --> 00:04:55,395 compliance with the concept that Kelcey and his staff 118 00:04:55,395 --> 00:04:56,563 do what they're excellent at. 119 00:04:56,563 --> 00:04:57,764 And that's being with homeless people, 120 00:04:57,764 --> 00:04:59,299 people experiencing homelessness, 121 00:04:59,299 --> 00:05:02,235 people who need pathways out to their next step in life. 122 00:05:03,637 --> 00:05:08,275 - Kelcey, I know several people who work as part of the hub 123 00:05:08,275 --> 00:05:11,678 and the effort that's been going on in evolving 124 00:05:11,678 --> 00:05:13,513 over a number of years. 125 00:05:13,513 --> 00:05:17,384 With the new location, 126 00:05:17,384 --> 00:05:20,987 you don't just wait for people who are experiencing homeless 127 00:05:20,987 --> 00:05:22,289 to come to you. 128 00:05:22,289 --> 00:05:24,090 It's not that simple. 129 00:05:24,090 --> 00:05:25,559 You have... 130 00:05:25,559 --> 00:05:28,628 I mean, this is what I guess someone in economic development 131 00:05:28,628 --> 00:05:32,566 would call labor intensive, very labor intensive work. 132 00:05:32,566 --> 00:05:35,835 You meet people where they are, literally. 133 00:05:35,835 --> 00:05:38,205 - We do, and we have a street outreach team 134 00:05:38,205 --> 00:05:41,408 that goes out and seeks out people 135 00:05:41,408 --> 00:05:44,177 who are experiencing homelessness 136 00:05:44,177 --> 00:05:45,445 and sleeping in places 137 00:05:45,445 --> 00:05:46,580 that are not fit for human habitation: 138 00:05:46,580 --> 00:05:49,916 bridges and overpasses, abandoned buildings, 139 00:05:49,916 --> 00:05:54,921 encampments in the woods of Raleigh and Sycamore View area. 140 00:05:55,722 --> 00:05:57,757 And in addition to that, 141 00:05:57,757 --> 00:06:01,428 we have a work local program which draws people in, 142 00:06:01,428 --> 00:06:03,697 it's a partnership with the City of Memphis 143 00:06:03,697 --> 00:06:06,733 and Downtown Memphis Commission and some other partners 144 00:06:06,733 --> 00:06:10,070 that we help to reduce blight in the city of Memphis. 145 00:06:10,070 --> 00:06:12,872 So we were able to hire people 146 00:06:12,872 --> 00:06:16,276 who are experiencing homelessness to work for a day, 147 00:06:16,276 --> 00:06:19,246 and they get paid that same day 148 00:06:19,246 --> 00:06:22,282 as well as they get served lunch. 149 00:06:22,282 --> 00:06:24,951 But the thing that happens is when they come in 150 00:06:24,951 --> 00:06:28,755 for that process, they're able to get COVID tested, 151 00:06:28,755 --> 00:06:30,457 they're able to get vaccinated. 152 00:06:30,457 --> 00:06:33,193 We're able to get them their state IDs, birth certificates, 153 00:06:33,193 --> 00:06:36,196 food stamps, help them apply for disability. 154 00:06:36,196 --> 00:06:37,631 All of these things are happening. 155 00:06:37,631 --> 00:06:40,667 The work that's being done is beautiful 156 00:06:40,667 --> 00:06:43,536 and everybody needs a little bit of money. 157 00:06:43,536 --> 00:06:45,005 But the thing that they get 158 00:06:45,005 --> 00:06:47,474 is this intensive case management that goes along 159 00:06:47,474 --> 00:06:50,110 with them being able to come and go to work with us. 160 00:06:50,110 --> 00:06:52,612 And we have employers who seek us out and ask, 161 00:06:52,612 --> 00:06:55,415 "Do you have somebody who can do this particular job 162 00:06:55,415 --> 00:06:56,449 or that particular job?" 163 00:06:56,449 --> 00:06:58,385 And so a lot of people who come 164 00:06:58,385 --> 00:07:00,153 to make that 50 bucks that day 165 00:07:00,153 --> 00:07:02,756 end up getting a full-time job or end up 166 00:07:02,756 --> 00:07:05,225 getting their benefits start at one benefit or another, 167 00:07:05,225 --> 00:07:08,628 and they ultimately get housed through those programs. 168 00:07:08,628 --> 00:07:11,431 - So, someone who comes in thinking, 169 00:07:11,431 --> 00:07:15,368 "Okay, I need some cash, I'm out on the streets 170 00:07:15,368 --> 00:07:19,506 or I'm going from one couch to another." 171 00:07:19,506 --> 00:07:21,841 They come in and they're actually 172 00:07:21,841 --> 00:07:23,777 on the road to this concept 173 00:07:23,777 --> 00:07:26,346 that I think is called rapid rehousing. 174 00:07:26,346 --> 00:07:28,948 - Exactly, and that's one of the avenues we use 175 00:07:28,948 --> 00:07:32,419 for rapid rehousing and really, 176 00:07:32,419 --> 00:07:36,189 I can't help you to exit homelessness if I don't know 177 00:07:36,189 --> 00:07:38,058 what caused your homelessness 178 00:07:38,058 --> 00:07:39,926 and what's keeping you homeless? 179 00:07:39,926 --> 00:07:42,228 Those are the two questions that we wanna get answered. 180 00:07:42,228 --> 00:07:44,864 And then we wanna wrap you up in supports 181 00:07:44,864 --> 00:07:49,235 by using our partners and our caseworkers to help you, 182 00:07:49,235 --> 00:07:52,939 if you're ready to go ahead and start on the road 183 00:07:52,939 --> 00:07:56,042 to getting out of homelessness, hopefully permanently. 184 00:07:56,042 --> 00:07:58,945 - The site of the inspection station, 185 00:07:58,945 --> 00:08:03,583 I think the original plan was to adapt that, 186 00:08:03,583 --> 00:08:05,285 and then things changed 187 00:08:05,285 --> 00:08:10,223 and there was more support for just building new, correct? 188 00:08:10,223 --> 00:08:11,825 - Yeah, and I'll back up a little bit. 189 00:08:11,825 --> 00:08:15,028 So, Kelcey and I've been in this business for a while 190 00:08:15,028 --> 00:08:16,563 in various forms, 191 00:08:16,563 --> 00:08:19,032 and we've known that the need for the shelter for women 192 00:08:19,032 --> 00:08:22,469 has been anecdotally and in front of our faces 193 00:08:22,469 --> 00:08:24,270 for a long, long time. 194 00:08:24,270 --> 00:08:25,271 But what we did several years back 195 00:08:25,271 --> 00:08:27,307 was really hone our data system 196 00:08:27,307 --> 00:08:29,209 and internal data system for the hub initially, 197 00:08:29,209 --> 00:08:33,980 and learned that 37% of our newly homeless individuals 198 00:08:33,980 --> 00:08:37,183 each year are women and only 6% of the emergency beds 199 00:08:37,183 --> 00:08:38,485 were available for women. 200 00:08:38,485 --> 00:08:39,986 So we took that data point. 201 00:08:39,986 --> 00:08:42,756 The thing that we knew, we now have the data to back it up. 202 00:08:42,756 --> 00:08:45,692 And we were able to build a strong coalition with the city, 203 00:08:45,692 --> 00:08:48,194 and with the county, and with philanthropy, 204 00:08:48,194 --> 00:08:50,363 and individuals, and Downtown Memphis Commission, 205 00:08:50,363 --> 00:08:52,399 and Memphis Medical District Collaborative 206 00:08:52,399 --> 00:08:55,769 to build this coalition to secure a site, 207 00:08:55,769 --> 00:08:57,804 which became the vehicle inspection station 208 00:08:57,804 --> 00:09:00,640 and to raise the funds   both for the capital 209 00:09:00,640 --> 00:09:04,310 and for operations, once we   open to build the building. 210 00:09:04,310 --> 00:09:06,513 And so the building will host 211 00:09:06,513 --> 00:09:08,615 an expanded hub   operations center, 212 00:09:08,615 --> 00:09:10,784 sort of the day service that   Kelcey has been describing, 213 00:09:10,784 --> 00:09:12,285 including like   a work local room 214 00:09:12,285 --> 00:09:13,686 to help shore up   that program. 215 00:09:13,686 --> 00:09:15,588 And then the women's side, 216 00:09:15,588 --> 00:09:17,390 which will be a   shelter for women, 217 00:09:17,390 --> 00:09:19,292 which includes a   private courtyard. 218 00:09:19,292 --> 00:09:22,095 We've been working with   the national foundation 219 00:09:22,095 --> 00:09:24,130 on the green spaces   called Nature Sacred. 220 00:09:24,130 --> 00:09:25,732 So we're in the process of... 221 00:09:25,732 --> 00:09:27,233 We've raised all the   dollars for the building, 222 00:09:27,233 --> 00:09:29,903 now we're raising dollars   for these green spaces, 223 00:09:29,903 --> 00:09:31,905 which include this   private courtyard 224 00:09:31,905 --> 00:09:34,674 which is a really significant   part of the program. 225 00:09:34,674 --> 00:09:37,844 We're really interested in   women in everyone that we find 226 00:09:37,844 --> 00:09:40,747 to have places to heal. 227 00:09:40,747 --> 00:09:42,982 And we know green spaces   can help with that. 228 00:09:42,982 --> 00:09:44,918 - This is the sort of... 229 00:09:44,918 --> 00:09:47,053 And even what's built   now that I drive past 230 00:09:47,053 --> 00:09:52,058 almost every day is the antithesis of a institution. 231 00:09:53,126 --> 00:09:55,061 It is very, very different than anything 232 00:09:55,061 --> 00:09:56,329 I've seen in Memphis in the 233 00:09:56,329 --> 00:09:58,698 sense of this plaza, these public spaces, 234 00:09:58,698 --> 00:10:02,869 the whole sense of it is much more welcoming, I guess, 235 00:10:02,869 --> 00:10:04,871 and also much more expensive because of that. 236 00:10:04,871 --> 00:10:06,406 I mean, not to make it about dollars and cents, 237 00:10:06,406 --> 00:10:08,074 but that's a big part of this, right? 238 00:10:08,074 --> 00:10:09,742 I mean, this is not a revenue producing effort. 239 00:10:09,742 --> 00:10:14,247 So, the thinking behind that, were there other models 240 00:10:14,247 --> 00:10:16,416 around the country that you all looked at that said, 241 00:10:16,416 --> 00:10:17,951 "No, we don't want just to house people 242 00:10:17,951 --> 00:10:19,853 "in cinder block dormitories. 243 00:10:19,853 --> 00:10:22,322 "We've got to have a kind of welcoming 244 00:10:22,322 --> 00:10:24,457 just the aesthetic of it." 245 00:10:24,457 --> 00:10:26,793 - Well-, you mind? - No, please. 246 00:10:26,793 --> 00:10:31,097 - So, I think the culture of the hub is that. 247 00:10:31,097 --> 00:10:33,199 And then really I would give credit to the city of Memphis 248 00:10:33,199 --> 00:10:34,767 and the mayor's office. 249 00:10:34,767 --> 00:10:36,603 They really wanted a place. 250 00:10:36,603 --> 00:10:39,405 So the plaza in the expanded plans, 251 00:10:39,405 --> 00:10:41,574 as they get built out over the next nine months 252 00:10:41,574 --> 00:10:43,810 includes additional park space. 253 00:10:43,810 --> 00:10:46,813 So right now the plaza, it's very beautiful, 254 00:10:46,813 --> 00:10:49,449 it's very useful, it functions anthropologically 255 00:10:49,449 --> 00:10:52,819 for someone who needs support, but it will have, 256 00:10:52,819 --> 00:10:54,287 in addition to that, 257 00:10:54,287 --> 00:10:57,357 trees, hammocks, more sitting places, more shade, 258 00:10:57,357 --> 00:10:59,259 more opportunities for rest, 259 00:10:59,259 --> 00:11:01,461 as folks need to throughout the day. 260 00:11:01,461 --> 00:11:03,429 And the City really wants that. 261 00:11:03,429 --> 00:11:05,431 Like, we want a place that feels welcoming, 262 00:11:05,431 --> 00:11:07,767 that is barrier-free, and gives people an opportunity 263 00:11:07,767 --> 00:11:10,637 to feel safe and are comfortable where they are. 264 00:11:10,637 --> 00:11:13,973 In the hub, everyone's an autonomous adult. 265 00:11:13,973 --> 00:11:16,476 Our goal is to provide opportunities, 266 00:11:16,476 --> 00:11:18,912 but we're never gonna force someone. 267 00:11:18,912 --> 00:11:20,880 One, it doesn't work, two, 268 00:11:20,880 --> 00:11:22,782 they have a right to make a choice. 269 00:11:22,782 --> 00:11:24,784 And so the space and the culture of the hub, 270 00:11:24,784 --> 00:11:27,854 I think really are gonna come together very nicely. 271 00:11:29,255 --> 00:11:30,757 - I mean this seriously, 272 00:11:30,757 --> 00:11:33,226 but I know it's kind of an almost silly question, 273 00:11:33,226 --> 00:11:34,160 but is the mission of the hub 274 00:11:34,160 --> 00:11:36,229 to end homelessness in Memphis? 275 00:11:36,229 --> 00:11:37,797 And is that even possible? 276 00:11:39,199 --> 00:11:42,468 - Our mission is to end homelessness for you, 277 00:11:42,468 --> 00:11:45,972 for each individual that we can end homelessness for, 278 00:11:45,972 --> 00:11:47,740 we wanna end homelessness for that person. 279 00:11:47,740 --> 00:11:49,042 And we strive to do that 280 00:11:49,042 --> 00:11:50,843 and we've been very successful 281 00:11:50,843 --> 00:11:53,246 at ending homelessness for individuals. 282 00:11:53,246 --> 00:11:55,481 And we've ended homelessness for a lot of individuals, 283 00:11:55,481 --> 00:11:57,984 but homelessness is something 284 00:11:57,984 --> 00:12:00,019 that's constantly being generated, 285 00:12:00,019 --> 00:12:01,721 especially because of the fact that people 286 00:12:01,721 --> 00:12:03,656 are constantly aging out of foster care 287 00:12:03,656 --> 00:12:06,059 and people are getting out of prison. 288 00:12:06,059 --> 00:12:08,595 That's one of the bigger groups is people 289 00:12:08,595 --> 00:12:10,063 who are aging out of foster care- 290 00:12:10,063 --> 00:12:12,665 - Which is 18-- - 18 years old. 291 00:12:12,665 --> 00:12:15,301 And sometimes they stumble around 'til they're 20 292 00:12:15,301 --> 00:12:17,070 and find themselves homeless. 293 00:12:17,070 --> 00:12:19,305 They can couch surf for a couple of years 294 00:12:19,305 --> 00:12:21,040 and then next thing you know, they're homeless, 295 00:12:21,040 --> 00:12:21,975 they're arrested. 296 00:12:21,975 --> 00:12:24,944 They may do 11 months, 29 days 297 00:12:24,944 --> 00:12:28,748 at 201 Poplar and somebody directs them to us 298 00:12:28,748 --> 00:12:30,650 and we're able to help them. 299 00:12:30,650 --> 00:12:33,319 Then there's also people who are lots and lots of people 300 00:12:33,319 --> 00:12:35,588 leaving the military every month. 301 00:12:35,588 --> 00:12:37,790 And some of those people come home and are able to make it. 302 00:12:37,790 --> 00:12:40,793 And some people come home with PTSD 303 00:12:40,793 --> 00:12:43,863 and traumatic brain injuries and things like that 304 00:12:43,863 --> 00:12:46,432 and they need us to jump in and kind of help them. 305 00:12:46,432 --> 00:12:49,535 And we work with our partners at the VA 306 00:12:49,535 --> 00:12:53,239 and Catholic charities to get those people housed, 307 00:12:53,239 --> 00:12:55,441 get them back going, get them a job, 308 00:12:55,441 --> 00:12:58,011 help them with the VA disability, that kind of thing. 309 00:12:58,011 --> 00:13:01,914 There's always someone who's gonna abuse a woman tonight 310 00:13:01,914 --> 00:13:03,516 and she's gonna flee her home. 311 00:13:03,516 --> 00:13:05,385 And the hub is a place that she's gonna come. 312 00:13:05,385 --> 00:13:07,420 Somebody is gonna send her there. 313 00:13:07,420 --> 00:13:10,556 And so homelessness is always being generated. 314 00:13:10,556 --> 00:13:11,991 And so can we end it? 315 00:13:11,991 --> 00:13:15,194 I mean, I don't see it ever ending 316 00:13:15,194 --> 00:13:16,763 because it never stops being generated. 317 00:13:16,763 --> 00:13:18,398 - Yeah, Bill. 318 00:13:18,398 --> 00:13:22,335 - Just around the corner as if what's happening 319 00:13:22,335 --> 00:13:23,803 at the hub isn't enough, 320 00:13:23,803 --> 00:13:27,540 the Union Mission has its expansion going. 321 00:13:27,540 --> 00:13:29,375 How does that... 322 00:13:29,375 --> 00:13:33,479 Is there a coordination between your agency and them, 323 00:13:33,479 --> 00:13:35,281 or how does that work? 324 00:13:35,281 --> 00:13:36,949 - Union Mission is a very close partner of ours. 325 00:13:36,949 --> 00:13:39,085 We have clients there every day, 326 00:13:39,085 --> 00:13:41,454 people who come to us and go to work, 327 00:13:41,454 --> 00:13:45,058 or people who come to us and who are getting state IDs, 328 00:13:45,058 --> 00:13:46,259 they may call us and say, 329 00:13:46,259 --> 00:13:47,593 "This person needs this thing or that thing 330 00:13:47,593 --> 00:13:49,062 and we're able to do it for them." 331 00:13:49,062 --> 00:13:51,597 They shelter more men than anybody in the region. 332 00:13:51,597 --> 00:13:56,602 And so they are an agency that's very, very important 333 00:13:57,837 --> 00:13:59,939 to the city and the city would be in big trouble 334 00:13:59,939 --> 00:14:01,407 without the Union Mission. 335 00:14:01,407 --> 00:14:06,279 We had a person to test positive for COVID last week 336 00:14:07,914 --> 00:14:10,116 and we knew that this person was staying here 337 00:14:10,116 --> 00:14:11,651 at the Union Mission. 338 00:14:11,651 --> 00:14:13,352 So I was able to call one of the pastors at Union Mission 339 00:14:13,352 --> 00:14:15,188 to say, "Hey, we're looking for this guy. 340 00:14:15,188 --> 00:14:17,790 "We can get him quarantined at a different hotel 341 00:14:17,790 --> 00:14:20,893 "for the next 10 days while we wait for him 342 00:14:20,893 --> 00:14:22,729 "to get through the virus 343 00:14:22,729 --> 00:14:25,198 will work its way out of his system." 344 00:14:25,198 --> 00:14:29,669 And so we're very close partners in all of those ways. 345 00:14:29,669 --> 00:14:33,973 - I would imagine that you run across people 346 00:14:33,973 --> 00:14:38,978 who are homeless, but who may argue 347 00:14:40,346 --> 00:14:42,348 that they're not because yeah, "I'm not on the streets, 348 00:14:42,348 --> 00:14:44,751 I'm sleeping in my car for a week or two, 349 00:14:44,751 --> 00:14:47,687 "but I'll find a couch somewhere. 350 00:14:47,687 --> 00:14:51,791 I'll find a relative to go somewhere," is that the case? 351 00:14:51,791 --> 00:14:54,160 - That happens with some people, and it doesn't matter 352 00:14:54,160 --> 00:14:56,262 what label a person puts on it. 353 00:14:56,262 --> 00:15:00,099 If they need my assistance and they come to our door, 354 00:15:00,099 --> 00:15:01,701 we're gonna assist them. 355 00:15:01,701 --> 00:15:05,004 One of the things that we also do is men who work 356 00:15:05,004 --> 00:15:07,039 with Shelby County Office of Re-entry 357 00:15:07,039 --> 00:15:09,142 and the men who are getting out of prison. 358 00:15:09,142 --> 00:15:11,444 Even if they do go and stay with a relative, 359 00:15:11,444 --> 00:15:14,714 with mom, or girlfriend, ex-whatever, 360 00:15:14,714 --> 00:15:17,350 we still give them the same services 361 00:15:17,350 --> 00:15:19,218 as a person who is sleeping outside. 362 00:15:19,218 --> 00:15:22,121 Because what we found is sometimes people 363 00:15:22,121 --> 00:15:25,725 get out of prison and they have a place to land 364 00:15:25,725 --> 00:15:27,059 and that place doesn't work out. 365 00:15:27,059 --> 00:15:29,996 So we start working on getting them their IDs 366 00:15:29,996 --> 00:15:32,365 and birth certificates and all the things they need 367 00:15:32,365 --> 00:15:34,801 to get work, get them apply for food stamps 368 00:15:34,801 --> 00:15:36,736 while they have somewhere to sleep and they stay, 369 00:15:36,736 --> 00:15:38,404 they come to us needing shelter. 370 00:15:38,404 --> 00:15:39,639 And so we start the ball rolling 371 00:15:39,639 --> 00:15:42,074 the day they come to us out of jail. 372 00:15:42,074 --> 00:15:45,044 - And in terms of fundraising, 373 00:15:45,044 --> 00:15:48,281 where do you think community awareness is? 374 00:15:51,117 --> 00:15:55,922 How do people view this problem and the solutions to it? 375 00:15:55,922 --> 00:15:59,725 Who are donating money to this effort? 376 00:15:59,725 --> 00:16:00,960 - Well, I mean, I think, 377 00:16:00,960 --> 00:16:02,595 just like in every segment of society, 378 00:16:02,595 --> 00:16:05,198 the opinions vary and it's always our job 379 00:16:05,198 --> 00:16:08,434 to get the message out and to educate folks 380 00:16:08,434 --> 00:16:09,368 about what we're able to do 381 00:16:09,368 --> 00:16:10,870 and what we're not able to do. 382 00:16:10,870 --> 00:16:13,739 And a lot of that education really sometimes comes around 383 00:16:13,739 --> 00:16:16,909 like people view, perhaps homeless camps, 384 00:16:16,909 --> 00:16:19,078 perhaps differently than the way the organization views it. 385 00:16:19,078 --> 00:16:22,248 And the way we engage homeless camps, as Kelcey said, 386 00:16:22,248 --> 00:16:26,986 we don't believe they're fit for human habitation. 387 00:16:26,986 --> 00:16:29,222 And that most folks there don't wanna be there. 388 00:16:29,222 --> 00:16:30,790 That's not their first choice, 389 00:16:30,790 --> 00:16:32,792 but there are barriers along the way 390 00:16:32,792 --> 00:16:34,760 to move people from those spaces. 391 00:16:34,760 --> 00:16:38,464 And sometimes the barriers can come from the community 392 00:16:38,464 --> 00:16:40,967 supporting folks with food and so forth. 393 00:16:40,967 --> 00:16:42,468 And so we don't... 394 00:16:42,468 --> 00:16:45,838 Where we have some, I think always have an education goal. 395 00:16:45,838 --> 00:16:48,407 And we're always learning too, 396 00:16:48,407 --> 00:16:51,110 like the pandemic, we've learned so much 397 00:16:51,110 --> 00:16:54,313 and in terms of like ending homelessness. 398 00:16:54,313 --> 00:16:56,916 When we get the building and we have this emergency shelter 399 00:16:56,916 --> 00:16:59,719 for women and has been such a need for so long, 400 00:16:59,719 --> 00:17:03,923 for me, that really helps me clarify the next steps. 401 00:17:03,923 --> 00:17:06,292 So Bill, you are out there, you saw the studios, 402 00:17:06,292 --> 00:17:10,329 we've built through some Tennessee CARES funds. 403 00:17:10,329 --> 00:17:12,632 We were able to build five shelters, 404 00:17:12,632 --> 00:17:14,100 non-congregate shelters, 405 00:17:14,100 --> 00:17:16,869 they're just studios, they're lovely bedrooms 406 00:17:16,869 --> 00:17:19,839 adjacent to our bathrooms. 407 00:17:19,839 --> 00:17:21,540 So they don't have plumbing within them, 408 00:17:21,540 --> 00:17:23,409 but they're a test case to figure out, 409 00:17:23,409 --> 00:17:25,678 'cause there's so many ways that someone moves out 410 00:17:25,678 --> 00:17:27,246 of homelessness 'cause there's so many ways 411 00:17:27,246 --> 00:17:29,048 why someone's in homelessness. 412 00:17:29,048 --> 00:17:32,618 So, folks might not be able to handle a group setting 413 00:17:32,618 --> 00:17:34,553 either because of COVID, 414 00:17:34,553 --> 00:17:36,355 or because of their mental health issues. 415 00:17:36,355 --> 00:17:38,491 And so this allows us to house them 416 00:17:38,491 --> 00:17:41,460 while working intensively with them. 417 00:17:41,460 --> 00:17:43,763 And so we're looking at additional funds 418 00:17:43,763 --> 00:17:46,532 and seeing how this program, this pilot program works 419 00:17:46,532 --> 00:17:51,537 because we're really sharpening the solutions and we do, 420 00:17:52,405 --> 00:17:53,205 and it is always generated. 421 00:17:53,205 --> 00:17:55,808 Homelessness is poverty. 422 00:17:55,808 --> 00:17:58,477 It's like a very visible form of poverty. 423 00:17:58,477 --> 00:18:02,481 And we have a very high impoverished population here, 424 00:18:02,481 --> 00:18:04,150 and we have more folks who are coming in. 425 00:18:04,150 --> 00:18:05,618 And so it is always generated. 426 00:18:05,618 --> 00:18:08,921 And yet, we think that we are really nailing in, 427 00:18:08,921 --> 00:18:11,490 on some solutions and have places to expand 428 00:18:11,490 --> 00:18:12,992 and can build up the next five years 429 00:18:12,992 --> 00:18:14,927 of the work of the hub for that. 430 00:18:14,927 --> 00:18:18,631 - I've been in since I got vaccinated in early March, 431 00:18:18,631 --> 00:18:21,233 whenever it was, my family's mostly on the west coast. 432 00:18:21,233 --> 00:18:25,137 So I've been, in that time, to see family in Portland, 433 00:18:25,137 --> 00:18:26,973 in Seattle, Tacoma. 434 00:18:26,973 --> 00:18:29,976 My son lives in Oakland now and lived in LA before that, 435 00:18:29,976 --> 00:18:33,346 so I've traveled an odd amount. 436 00:18:33,346 --> 00:18:37,149 The level of visible homelessness 437 00:18:37,149 --> 00:18:39,452 in Portland and Seattle, 438 00:18:39,452 --> 00:18:44,423 Oakland, and in LA, we have huge poverty issues here, 439 00:18:44,423 --> 00:18:47,259 but it reminds you that the country has huge poverty issues 440 00:18:47,259 --> 00:18:52,231 and in Portland, in Seattle, especially, just in Portland, 441 00:18:52,231 --> 00:18:54,000 I think people can't quite imagine 442 00:18:54,000 --> 00:18:55,701 the way their rules are set up. 443 00:18:55,701 --> 00:18:57,837 And I don't even know if I'm criticizing this, 444 00:18:57,837 --> 00:19:00,139 I just know it's unbelievably sad to see is 445 00:19:00,139 --> 00:19:01,941 there are people in tents, 446 00:19:01,941 --> 00:19:05,077 sometimes three to a block in downtown Portland, 447 00:19:05,077 --> 00:19:06,312 and they have a right to stay there 448 00:19:06,312 --> 00:19:07,780 for certain amount of time based on that 449 00:19:07,780 --> 00:19:09,281 the City Council kind of law. 450 00:19:09,281 --> 00:19:12,351 And I was walking by, and I mean this not in a cruel way, 451 00:19:12,351 --> 00:19:16,422 I thought to myself first and foremost, it's incredibly sad. 452 00:19:16,422 --> 00:19:18,958 Secondly, no one is served by this. 453 00:19:18,958 --> 00:19:22,628 This person's living on a sidewalk 454 00:19:22,628 --> 00:19:26,899 across from a restaurant, or a business, or apartments. 455 00:19:26,999 --> 00:19:30,302 So the homeless person isn't particularly well-served, 456 00:19:30,302 --> 00:19:34,306 the homeowner, the business, the residents, 457 00:19:34,306 --> 00:19:39,311 and yet it is pervasive in a way that is breathtaking. 458 00:19:40,479 --> 00:19:43,883 I am trying to turn this into a question. 459 00:19:43,883 --> 00:19:46,285 Why is that happening there? 460 00:19:46,285 --> 00:19:48,921 And why is that not happening here? 461 00:19:48,921 --> 00:19:52,391 Are we just doing a much better job or are the rules different? 462 00:19:52,391 --> 00:19:53,759 What is going on that 463 00:19:53,759 --> 00:19:56,495 you would think that if that's happening there 464 00:19:56,495 --> 00:19:59,298 in a much wealthier cities like Portland, Seattle, 465 00:19:59,298 --> 00:20:01,701 and so on that it would also be happening here. 466 00:20:01,701 --> 00:20:05,638 - The thing that I've done audits in other cities, 467 00:20:05,638 --> 00:20:08,574 in addition to working here, 468 00:20:08,574 --> 00:20:12,511 and the thing that we as a city, 469 00:20:12,511 --> 00:20:16,182 as a City Council and County Commission, and mayors, 470 00:20:16,182 --> 00:20:19,118 and service providers, 471 00:20:19,118 --> 00:20:23,889 we've decided that tent cities are inhumane 472 00:20:24,924 --> 00:20:26,926 and we don't want them here. 473 00:20:26,926 --> 00:20:31,931 And so we had, after this protest that happened downtown 474 00:20:33,332 --> 00:20:37,403 on Legislative Plaza, after all the protesters left, 475 00:20:37,403 --> 00:20:40,039 they left tents and all kinds of stuff 476 00:20:40,039 --> 00:20:42,274 for people to have an encampment there. 477 00:20:42,274 --> 00:20:45,244 And it was ugly and it was bad. 478 00:20:45,244 --> 00:20:47,713 And so we worked with the City 479 00:20:47,713 --> 00:20:49,014 to get rid of that encampment. 480 00:20:49,014 --> 00:20:52,418 And the way we did it was through smart 481 00:20:52,418 --> 00:20:55,955 and excellent case management with us and our partners 482 00:20:55,955 --> 00:21:00,860 and some funding from the City to get those people 483 00:21:02,027 --> 00:21:04,263 moved from the tents, we went out to the tents 484 00:21:04,263 --> 00:21:07,566 with Chick-fil-A and coffee, and tent-by-tent and said, 485 00:21:07,566 --> 00:21:10,336 "Hey, would you rather be somewhere else?" 486 00:21:10,336 --> 00:21:12,838 And 94-- - For weeks. 487 00:21:12,838 --> 00:21:16,108 - It wasn't one day. - An intensive amount of work. 488 00:21:16,108 --> 00:21:17,343 - Yeah, it was a lot of work. 489 00:21:17,343 --> 00:21:18,611 And would you rather be somewhere else? 490 00:21:18,611 --> 00:21:21,247 And ultimately we got everybody to say, 491 00:21:21,247 --> 00:21:22,515 "Yeah, we wanna be somewhere." 492 00:21:22,515 --> 00:21:26,018 But one by one, we moved those people from tents 493 00:21:26,018 --> 00:21:29,488 to hotels and got rid of all the blight 494 00:21:29,488 --> 00:21:30,956 that happened down there. 495 00:21:30,956 --> 00:21:33,259 And from those hotels, some went to rooming houses, 496 00:21:33,259 --> 00:21:37,329 some went to public housing, some got housed other places. 497 00:21:37,329 --> 00:21:39,698 We found that some people had income 498 00:21:39,698 --> 00:21:41,934 and just didn't know how to manage it. 499 00:21:41,934 --> 00:21:43,636 So, you need to go to drug and alcohol treatment. 500 00:21:43,636 --> 00:21:46,272 And so it could be easier to manage your money, 501 00:21:46,272 --> 00:21:47,807 if you can get out of... 502 00:21:47,807 --> 00:21:49,441 After you leave a treatment program and sober living. 503 00:21:49,441 --> 00:21:53,078 And so it was like she said, it was weeks and weeks, 504 00:21:53,078 --> 00:21:57,917 but we completely erased that tent city from downtown. 505 00:21:57,917 --> 00:21:59,718 - Again, I'm dwelling on this 506 00:21:59,718 --> 00:22:01,320 because I just don't think people, 507 00:22:01,320 --> 00:22:03,255 unless you've seen pictures of where you see it, 508 00:22:03,255 --> 00:22:04,957 Skid Row in LA, which I did not... 509 00:22:04,957 --> 00:22:07,893 I think I thought it was maybe more of a notion 510 00:22:07,893 --> 00:22:10,863 than an actual place and accidentally drove through it. 511 00:22:10,863 --> 00:22:13,265 It's what you picture when you see a... 512 00:22:13,265 --> 00:22:16,869 You think this happens in war-torn areas. 513 00:22:16,869 --> 00:22:19,972 It is blocks, and blocks, and blocks, and hundreds of tents. 514 00:22:19,972 --> 00:22:20,973 - Right. - And hundreds of tents. 515 00:22:20,973 --> 00:22:23,542 - Right. - And a kind of squalor, 516 00:22:23,542 --> 00:22:26,712 that's just unbelievably sad for everyone-- 517 00:22:26,712 --> 00:22:28,214 - And I promise you, 518 00:22:28,214 --> 00:22:32,685 we would have the exact same thing in Memphis downtown, 519 00:22:32,685 --> 00:22:34,720 an underpass near St. Jude would have been a huge, 520 00:22:34,720 --> 00:22:37,456 huge encampment had we all not worked together 521 00:22:37,456 --> 00:22:40,226 not to have that, Legislative Plaza would have grown 522 00:22:40,226 --> 00:22:45,231 to 70, 80, 100 tents, but we, as a community, 523 00:22:46,632 --> 00:22:49,168 not just the hub have decided that we don't want people 524 00:22:49,168 --> 00:22:51,904 living outdoors and we're gonna work together 525 00:22:51,904 --> 00:22:54,840 as a community to make people not have to live outdoors. 526 00:22:54,840 --> 00:22:57,543 'Cause when you sleep on a bench 527 00:22:57,543 --> 00:22:59,612 for a night is one thing, 528 00:22:59,612 --> 00:23:01,247 but to set up a tent with a coffee maker 529 00:23:01,247 --> 00:23:02,881 and a microwave in it, 530 00:23:02,881 --> 00:23:07,453 and you've given up on traditional forms of housing. 531 00:23:07,453 --> 00:23:10,489 - Yeah, just a couple of minutes left to go back, Bill. 532 00:23:10,489 --> 00:23:15,494 - I also wonder if some of that is a reaction 533 00:23:16,662 --> 00:23:20,666 to the rules that are in traditional shelters, 534 00:23:21,533 --> 00:23:23,702 is that also a part of it? 535 00:23:24,837 --> 00:23:25,904 - For some people, 536 00:23:27,339 --> 00:23:30,743 different types of emotional injuries and PTSD, 537 00:23:32,478 --> 00:23:35,147 bipolar personality, psychosis types of things, 538 00:23:35,147 --> 00:23:38,917 make it impossible for some people to live in shelter. 539 00:23:38,917 --> 00:23:42,888 And then you have some people who don't like 540 00:23:45,491 --> 00:23:48,827 the Christian things that go on in shelter. 541 00:23:48,827 --> 00:23:50,329 So they refuse it because of that. 542 00:23:50,329 --> 00:23:53,699 Sometimes they've gotten in fights or that kind of thing. 543 00:23:53,699 --> 00:23:56,602 And so they can't go back to shelters because they've been 544 00:23:56,602 --> 00:23:57,836 so combative in shelter. 545 00:23:57,836 --> 00:24:00,773 And so that does happen, 546 00:24:00,773 --> 00:24:03,042 but I don't think that's the main reason 547 00:24:03,042 --> 00:24:06,145 people are outdoors, there's other reasons, 548 00:24:06,145 --> 00:24:07,946 but that definitely is one of 'em. 549 00:24:07,946 --> 00:24:12,952 - Yeah, this is a matter of someone trusting you 550 00:24:14,119 --> 00:24:19,058 to know that they're safe in many ways. 551 00:24:20,059 --> 00:24:22,127 And some of that is rules 552 00:24:22,127 --> 00:24:26,565 but some of it is also programming. 553 00:24:26,565 --> 00:24:31,570 Calvary Episcopal Church had a program many years ago now 554 00:24:32,771 --> 00:24:34,206 that was actually a writing program 555 00:24:34,206 --> 00:24:37,343 for people who were experiencing homelessness 556 00:24:37,343 --> 00:24:40,479 and the essays that were read aloud 557 00:24:40,479 --> 00:24:41,914 at the end of the program, 558 00:24:41,914 --> 00:24:45,351 were, I think, some of the best testimonies 559 00:24:45,351 --> 00:24:47,786 I've ever heard or experienced 560 00:24:47,786 --> 00:24:51,991 of what it means to experience homelessness, 561 00:24:51,991 --> 00:24:53,325 are there those kinds of efforts 562 00:24:53,325 --> 00:24:57,429 beyond getting someone into shelter? 563 00:24:57,429 --> 00:24:59,798 - So I think when we have the new building, 564 00:24:59,798 --> 00:25:02,201 we'll have the capacity to do that. 565 00:25:02,201 --> 00:25:05,371 We have closed down our volunteer programs 566 00:25:05,371 --> 00:25:08,107 since the pandemic, but we believe when we open 567 00:25:08,107 --> 00:25:09,908 the new building, and of course obviously 568 00:25:09,908 --> 00:25:11,610 where it's depending upon where the pandemic is 569 00:25:11,610 --> 00:25:15,047 in March of 2022, we really hope to bring folks back. 570 00:25:16,148 --> 00:25:18,484 They were the backbone for years. 571 00:25:18,484 --> 00:25:21,420 They were the hub, volunteers were the hub for many, 572 00:25:21,420 --> 00:25:24,356 many years, we were an all-volunteer organization. 573 00:25:24,356 --> 00:25:29,061 And so that's really a very important part of our system 574 00:25:29,061 --> 00:25:31,497 and ideology and so we think we can bring folks back 575 00:25:31,497 --> 00:25:34,700 and with that, those kinds of innovative programs, 576 00:25:34,700 --> 00:25:36,869 we will have the space and we've never had that before. 577 00:25:36,869 --> 00:25:39,138 And so that's really exciting. 578 00:25:39,138 --> 00:25:40,873 - We can talk much more about this, 579 00:25:40,873 --> 00:25:43,242 I should say thank you both for what you do 580 00:25:43,242 --> 00:25:44,710 and thanks for being here. 581 00:25:44,710 --> 00:25:46,145 I appreciate it. 582 00:25:46,145 --> 00:25:47,379 Thank you Bill, and thank you for joining us. 583 00:25:47,379 --> 00:25:49,915 Please do join us again next week. 584 00:25:49,915 --> 00:25:53,152 [intense orchestral music] 585 00:26:20,746 --> 00:26:22,748 [acoustic guitar chords]