A Memphis Sanctuary for the Unhoused
by Tricia Dewey
On any given morning, a crowd of unhoused Memphians gathers at the Hospitality Hub on Washington Avenue in Downtown Memphis. During the first cold spell of the winter in early December, the Hub lobby was particularly crowded with people who had spent the night in the congregate overnight shelter of the dedicated Memphis warming center. However, anyone experiencing homelessness can meet with a Hub case counselor anytime to connect with resources, including shelter, substance abuse treatment, health services, food stamps, disability benefits, and other government assistance. Hub case counselors meet with an average of 65 guests per day, equating to about 4,000 non-repeating guests per year. Each person’s journey to the Hub is unique, as are their needs and paths to permanent housing. Step one might be obtaining a state identification card, which is required by some shelters. The ultimate goal is always permanent housing, with each step aimed toward that end.
Since 2007, the Hub has provided these daily services, partnering with more than 200 other organizations. Originally formed as a consortium of the Downtown Churches Association near Calvary Episcopal Church off Second Street, the Hub served 1,591 unhoused Memphians in 2018, 37% of whom were women. However, a survey showed that only 6% of the beds at shelters were available for women. Serrie Fung, Hub communications manager, says this gap highlighted the need for a dedicated women’s shelter. While the new shelter was already in the works, concern about the effects of the pandemic on the unhoused population accelerated the plans. They partnered with the Moxy Downtown Hotel to house women on the third floor until their in-house shelter was ready. “We learned a lot from that experience of having the women stay in a really beautiful, comfortable environment,” Fung says. In 2019, the Memphis City Council and Shelby County Commission passed a resolution supporting a new facility designated to end homelessness, which broke ground in 2020.
The new facility on Washington Avenue opened in August 2022, transforming a former service inspection center into a centralized resource center for homeless services and doubling its square footage to 6,000. This expansion enabled an increase in daily services and the ability to provide overnight shelter in the form of the Hub Hotel for women and children. The Hub Hotel operates specifically for women and children and contains 31 beds, 17 trundles, and several roll-in cribs and pack-and-plays.
In addition to the Hub Hotel, the Hub Studios is a group of 10 one-room studios situated on the Hub campus to house guests who may be missed by the traditional shelter system. Fung explains that the studios concept emerged from the pandemic: “The Hub Studio’s idea came about because we realized that many individuals our Street Outreach team encountered were chronically unhoused individuals who had been outside for a very long time. Many suffer from PTSD or other mental health issues that make it difficult for them to be around a large crowd, so a congregate shelter would not work for this population. If we could create a space where they could have their own space, we could give them a key, and that would also be transitional housing.”
One advantage of the Hub Studios’ location on the Hub campus is the proximity of clients to case managers and resources to continue working on the transition to permanent housing. Other profiles not met by the traditional shelter system include heterosexual couples who typically have to split up to go into men’s or women’s shelters, causing many to stay together outside. Fung notes that it also gets complicated with families, especially if the father is with them, which limits available shelters, or if they have older male children. “All of these groups are not being served by the shelter availability that we currently have, so we created the Hub Studios. They’re super flexible. We’ve got 10 of them. They are full to bursting all the time. But they’re the most flexible type of shelter that we have,” she says.
The studio design or tiny house idea has been a successful pilot model for the Hub. Many who saw the demo model at Crosstown and other places around town commented on its appeal, saying, “I could see myself staying here.” IKEA donated all the interior furnishings, featuring smooth, clean lines that are easy to clean and prepare for the next transitional guest. Exterior colors were chosen through trauma-informed design and architecture, using cool colors such as blue, green, and purple.
Memphis architecture firm archimania worked on the first 10 studios and is now working to build a satellite community named Hub Village, which will include another 10 studios and 10 cottages designed for up to four occupants. The design emphasizes the use of natural and weatherable materials and airiness. “Because we’ve seen this growth in the need for shelter for families, we have decided that Hub Village will focus specifically on families. The entire campus will be centered toward families,” says Fung. These cottages will be located in North Memphis. Another satellite Hub program is Hub Hall, located on Claybrook Avenue, which provides 12 rooms for young adults aged 18 to 24.
When guests come to the Hub needing services, they can also be referred to other shelters if nothing is available at the Hub. There are numerous reasons why guests find their way to the Hub, such as fleeing domestic violence or sleeping in their cars. It’s difficult to get an accurate number for the unhoused population. In June 2023, Kelcey Johnson, executive director of the Hub, estimated there were between 3,500 and 4,200 unhoused individuals in Memphis. Memphis-Shelby County Schools identified almost 3,000 unhoused students in mid-2023, approximately double the number from the previous year.
The reasons someone becomes homeless are numerous. While working with the Hub, guests partner with their case counselors to determine the necessary steps to take. Case counselors generally meet with guests at least once a week, aiming for permanent housing. The first step may be obtaining a state ID, followed by applying for a job. There are various paths to finding housing, whether through private rental, supported housing programs, subsidized housing, veteran programs, or other options. Johnson says the Hub has a 91% success rate for getting people housed and keeping them housed, although assessing the success rate can be complicated. It may be difficult to follow up, and it can take a long time to find permanent housing. The end goal is not only housing but a sustainable housing situation. There are countless ways a person becomes unhoused and nearly as many ways to find a home.
The Hub is helping to work on many of them.
photos by Tricia Dewey
