Tyrone Bradshaw, 55, has been homeless for 30 days living on the streets or trying to hustle enough money to stay at a homeless shelter.
What began as a protest against a homeless shelter where a worker was allegedly exchanging sexual favors for a night stay has spiraled into a campaign to reform homeless shelters in Memphis.
In 2013, The Mid-South Peace and Justice Center protested the Beers Van Gogh Center of Excellence, which provides shelter for homeless people, because one of the organization’s members said that, when she was staying there, a worker from the facility asked for sexual favors from her in order to allow her to stay. at the facility.
This brought Memphis homeless shelters to the attention of the Mid-South Peace and Justice Center, which started a campaign to improve Memphis shelters.
“Sometimes [shelters] are not up to par and they mistreat their patrons, and [the patrons] just want to be heard. They just want somebody to listen and try to see what we can do to improve the shelters,” said Tamara Hendrix, organizing coordinator at the Mid-South Peace and Justice Center.
This campaign is a part of Homeless Organizing for Power & Equality, an organization within the Mid-South Peace and Justice Center whose members are currently or formerly homeless. Hendrix said this, like most H.O.P.E. campaigns, began because some of the members of the organization expressed concerns with Memphis homeless shelters.
Hendrix first got involved with H.O.P.E. when she was homeless. She was working as a teacher, but lost her job and was not able to find another one. She has spent six years in her battle with homelessness. Two years she was on the streets, two years she was in a homeless shelter, and for the past two years she has been living in transitional housing.
“I didn’t have income, I couldn’t pay for [a shelter],” said Hendrix.
Hendrix said that she lived on the streets because she could not afford to pay to stay in a shelter. She doesn’t agree with the homeless shelters having fees. Also, she said that people in the shelters sometimes take the food stamps of the people that are staying there as payment for the shelter.
“What if that was all you had and you were hungry because you weren’t getting enough for from what they feed you?” said Hendrix.
She said at the shelter she lived in sometimes there would only be toast for breakfast. “That’s just the way it is. You paid your money to stay there so you stay there,” said Hendrix.
Hendrix said they have gotten reports of poor conditions and sexual harassment from their members, and that is going to be the focus of H.O.P.E’s advocacy.
H.O.P.E plans to focus on the Memphis Union Mission and Living for Christ shelters.
“Don’t get me wrong, we don’t want to bash the shelters. We are grateful, at least they are there for our patrons,” said Hendrix.
Hendrix said that H.O.P.E.’s goal is to get the homeless shelters to be better, safer places for the homeless population in Memphis.
“I was formerly homeless before and I know that a homeless person, once they get their mind together and everything is fine, they want shelter, they want to feel like part of the community,” said Hendrix.
Tyrone Bradshaw is one of the approximately 2,000 homeless Memphians, and has been homeless for about 30 days because of “financial reasons.” He said that sometimes he is able to raise the money throughout the day to pay for a night’s stay at a homeless shelter, but if he can’t get the money, he is left to spend the night on the streets.
“Life brings on certain things man,” said Bradshaw.
Bradshaw has been staying on and off in the Memphis Union Mission during his time of homelessness.
“You think I want to live in a place like that?” said Bradshaw when asked why he didn’t like staying in homeless shelters.
Bradshaw said that he never stays at homeless shelters long enough to see how the workers treat people, but that the people there are “nasty.”
“You dealing with too many personalities and people, and they’re filthy. They go in there and urinate on the floor, they don’t flush the toilet, they just walk over there like they ain’t got no home respect.”
Hendrix said she started working for the Mid-South Peace and Justice Center because she wants to help give people like Bradshaw hope for their future.
“I like trying to help people who are homeless persons get back on their feet.”
In 2013, The Mid-South Peace and Justice Center protested the Beers Van Gogh Center of Excellence, which provides shelter for homeless people, because one of the organization’s members said that, when she was staying there, a worker from the facility asked for sexual favors from her in order to allow her to stay. at the facility.
This brought Memphis homeless shelters to the attention of the Mid-South Peace and Justice Center, which started a campaign to improve Memphis shelters.
“Sometimes [shelters] are not up to par and they mistreat their patrons, and [the patrons] just want to be heard. They just want somebody to listen and try to see what we can do to improve the shelters,” said Tamara Hendrix, organizing coordinator at the Mid-South Peace and Justice Center.
This campaign is a part of Homeless Organizing for Power & Equality, an organization within the Mid-South Peace and Justice Center whose members are currently or formerly homeless. Hendrix said this, like most H.O.P.E. campaigns, began because some of the members of the organization expressed concerns with Memphis homeless shelters.
Hendrix first got involved with H.O.P.E. when she was homeless. She was working as a teacher, but lost her job and was not able to find another one. She has spent six years in her battle with homelessness. Two years she was on the streets, two years she was in a homeless shelter, and for the past two years she has been living in transitional housing.
“I didn’t have income, I couldn’t pay for [a shelter],” said Hendrix.
Hendrix said that she lived on the streets because she could not afford to pay to stay in a shelter. She doesn’t agree with the homeless shelters having fees. Also, she said that people in the shelters sometimes take the food stamps of the people that are staying there as payment for the shelter.
“What if that was all you had and you were hungry because you weren’t getting enough for from what they feed you?” said Hendrix.
She said at the shelter she lived in sometimes there would only be toast for breakfast. “That’s just the way it is. You paid your money to stay there so you stay there,” said Hendrix.
Hendrix said they have gotten reports of poor conditions and sexual harassment from their members, and that is going to be the focus of H.O.P.E’s advocacy.
H.O.P.E plans to focus on the Memphis Union Mission and Living for Christ shelters.
“Don’t get me wrong, we don’t want to bash the shelters. We are grateful, at least they are there for our patrons,” said Hendrix.
Hendrix said that H.O.P.E.’s goal is to get the homeless shelters to be better, safer places for the homeless population in Memphis.
“I was formerly homeless before and I know that a homeless person, once they get their mind together and everything is fine, they want shelter, they want to feel like part of the community,” said Hendrix.
Tyrone Bradshaw is one of the approximately 2,000 homeless Memphians, and has been homeless for about 30 days because of “financial reasons.” He said that sometimes he is able to raise the money throughout the day to pay for a night’s stay at a homeless shelter, but if he can’t get the money, he is left to spend the night on the streets.
“Life brings on certain things man,” said Bradshaw.
Bradshaw has been staying on and off in the Memphis Union Mission during his time of homelessness.
“You think I want to live in a place like that?” said Bradshaw when asked why he didn’t like staying in homeless shelters.
Bradshaw said that he never stays at homeless shelters long enough to see how the workers treat people, but that the people there are “nasty.”
“You dealing with too many personalities and people, and they’re filthy. They go in there and urinate on the floor, they don’t flush the toilet, they just walk over there like they ain’t got no home respect.”
Hendrix said she started working for the Mid-South Peace and Justice Center because she wants to help give people like Bradshaw hope for their future.
“I like trying to help people who are homeless persons get back on their feet.”