HOPE

Hillsborough Organization for Progress & Equality

Mission

The Hillsborough Organization for Progress and Equality, HOPE, Inc. is a multi-issue, direct-action congregation-based community organization committed to improving the quality of life for all persons in Hillsborough County. Based on the common values of justice, fairness, and dignity of persons, the primary mission of HOPE is to engage and train persons in low-to-moderate income communities to identify common community problems and effectively build the power needed to gain long-term resolution to those problems.

Past Accomplishments

Education Reform

• Reading: Positively impacted the reading success of hundreds of low-income children in Kindergarten to 3rd grade, and now Special Education, through implementation of a phonics-based reading program called Direct Instruction (DI). Secured $921,000 of state funding for Hillsborough County School District to implement DI in 10 schools and $7.25 million during the 2000 Legislative Session for use of DI in 7 Florida School Districts.
• Suspensions: Established a school district Alternative To Out-of-School Suspension (ATOSS) program that now supervises at least 10,000 suspended children each year. Succeeded in acquiring a commitment from the school district not to suspend children out of school for tardiness.

Neighborhood Revitalization

• Demolition: Successfully pressed the Mayor of Tampa to demolish and clean up the abandoned Belmont Heights Lumber Company, a dangerous community health, safety, and fire hazard.
• Sidewalks: Convinced the City of Tampa to construction a 1.2-mile sidewalk on 22nd Street in East Tampa at a cost of $65,000 to City of Tampa, which led to construction of many other sidewalks.
• Housing: Got the attention from officials to address the construction, funding, and communication problems experienced by Hispanic families in a low-income housing development.

Crime Prevention

• Hotspots: Initiated Anti-Drug HOTSPOTS Campaign that holds law enforcement accountable to investigate specific illegal drug activity at locations anonymously identified by residents.
• Prostitution: Convinced the Code Enforcement Division, Tampa Police Department, and City Council to clean up the prostitution and illegal drug activity on and around a Hispanic congregation on Nebraska Avenue.

Health Care

• Behavioral Health: Helped achieve a commitment from Board of County Commissioners to expand substance abuse and mental health treatment in Hillsborough County HealthCare Plan, at start-up cost of $2 million.

Year End Report

HOPE organized a campaign to win a Jobs and Living Wage Ordinance that would require companies that receive public monies to guarantee wages above poverty and to seek local residents for job openings. A one-year campaign for a County Ordinance, initiated through a direct action of 500 people that led to the establishment of a County Living Wage Task Force and four public hearings throughout the County, was lost in a very close County Commission vote of 4 to 3 against the writing of such an Ordinance.

HOPE's October 2004 Delegates' Convention gathered 260 delegates representing 20 diverse organizations within the African American, Arab American, Caribbean, Caucasian, Christian, Muslim, Unitarian and labor communities to celebrate our work together to address education, poverty, illegal drugs, prostitution, and housing. Delegates voted to continue our work to improve education, economic development, and immigration reform, as well as engaged 10 local candidates and officials on these prioritized issues. A new 13-member Board of Directors was elected from within our membership.

HOPE held four local training sessions that engaged 180 members from eighteen organizations. Three pastors attended the DART Clergy Conference and four leaders attended the DART 5-day Introductory Workshop. Member raised monies brought in $38,700 in corporate support and $20,806 from individuals. Four new congregations/organizations joined HOPE membership from October 2004 - April 2005: St. John the Divine Episcopal Church, Christ the King Catholic Church, Springfield College School of Human Services and Christ the Servant Apostolic Church.

HOPE will initiate a grassroots House Meeting Listening Campaign from September - October 2005 to identify and prioritize specific local community problems and to build networks of relationships.

Current Membership

HOPE is comprised of twenty-one congregations with over 14,000 total members. Members come from all over Hillsborough County, and represent a diverse mix of race, culture, and religious traditions. Member congregations and organizations typically represent low to moderate-income communities, and work together to take direct action on member identified problems. Indeed, HOPE brings together persons of different backgrounds like no other organization in Hillsborough County because participants work side-by-side as equals to address community problems of common concern.

Benefits to Membership

• Enable clergy and congregations to reflect on and fulfill God's requirement to 'Do Justice'
• Get long-term results on pressing community problems
• Develop public leadership skills among laity
• Strengthen relationships among congregants and with members of other congregations in the region
• Increase lay leader involvement
• Heighten public profile for the congregation in the community
• Cross racial and economic boundaries by working side-by-side with clergy and other congregations throughout the county

Contact Info

Rev. Sharon Streater, Lead Organizer
3131 N. Boulevard, Tampa, FL 33603
Ph: 813-221-HOPE
Fax: 813-221-0130
Email:hopeinc@fdn.com