NEWS

Issue of Concern:
While many dollars are appropriated in this community to assist the homeless, few are allocated for outreach efforts that would help connect homeless individuals with agencies and services whose primary mission is to assist the homeless.  Consequently, many individuals who are in need and could possibly qualify for various assistance programs are not aware of the agencies and services that could help them exit homelessness. 

Through our concern for these individuals and in spite of the fact that these activities are not a primary mission of the Downtown Memphis Commission (DMC), we have sought to assist these individuals when possible.  To that end, our Blue Suede Brigade is constantly making contacts, referrals and even providing free coupons for service at downtown’s Union Mission for Men.

As we have identified and sought to help homeless individuals in the Downtown area, our constant partner in this endeavor has been the Hospitality Hub; a Downtown agency that acts as a clearing-house of sorts and makes referrals to other agencies as it discerns the needs and circumstances of a homeless individual.

Proposal:
 Given our ongoing relationship with the Hospitality Hub and our continuing interest to be of assistance to homeless individuals in the downtown area, it makes sense to form an official partnership with the Hospitality Hub.  This proposed partnership would include the Blue Suede Brigade continuing its present activities while the DMC provides some funding for outreach professionals to work in the Downtown area.  We believe that this would be a valuable and effective partnership to assist homeless individuals in the Downtown area.

Recommendation:
Based on current observations and numbers of homeless individuals in the Downtown area, staff has negotiated with the HUB the following terms for consideration by the DMC board.

The HUB will perform on-street, face-to-face interactions on Mondays and Wednesdays from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. with group visitations on Sundays from 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. for an hourly rate of pay of $12.00 per hour.

For these days and hours and at the recommended rate of pay, our annual program expense would be approximately $7,500.00 which is within our proposed budget and I believe is adequate for the circumstances we witness daily in the area.

The work will be performed by Mr. Kelcey Johnson, current Jobs Program Coordinator for the HUB.  As Mr. Johnson is a part-time employee of the HUB, this will serve to increase his work hours with the HUB.   Additionally, Mr. Johnson is a downtown resident and is familiar with many people in need of services offered by the HUB and he has contacts with many downtown employers who may assist him with employment opportunities for his clients.

Weekly feedback to the DMC would include number of contacts, number of referrals and follow-up with other networking agencies and number of business contacts.