HOPE MEMBERSHIP
consists of multi-cultural, interracial,
and interfaith congregations
located throughout Hillsborough County
ALLEN TEMPLE AFRICAN METHODIST
EPISCOPAL CHURCH
BIBLE-BASED FELLOWSHIP
CORPUS CHRISTI CATHOLIC CHURCH
FIRST UNITED CHURCH OF TAMPA
ISLAMIC COMMUNITY OF TAMPA
LUTHERAN CHURCH OF OUR SAVIOUR
NEW GREATER FRIENDSHIP
MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH
NEW MACEDONIA MISSIONARY
BAPTIST CHURCH
NEW SMYRNA FULL GOSPEL CATHEDRAL
PEACE PROGRESSIVE MISSIONARY
BAPTIST CHURCH
ST. ANDREW’S UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
ST. CATHERINE’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH
ST. JAMES AFRICAN METHODIST
EPISCOPAL CHURCH
ST. JAMES HOUSE OF PRAYER
EPISCOPAL CHURCH
ST. PAUL LUTHERAN CHURCH
ST. PETER CLAVER CATHOLIC CHURCH
ST. STEPHEN CATHOLIC CHURCH
THIRTY-FOURTH STREET CHURCH OF GOD
TRINITY CHRISTIAN METHODIST
EPISCOPAL CHURCH
UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST CHURCH
OF TAMPA
The Parable of HOPE
There was once a great City that had a
large river running through it. One day a
member of a congregation was walking
beside the river and heard people in the
river calling for help. The member started
dragging people to safety before collapsing
exhausted on the bank. As the member lay
breathless upon the bank, many others in
the river were swept out to sea and
drowned. The heartbroken member took
the tired, wet, and sick people she was able
to rescue to her congregation so they could
receive care.
Hillsborough Organization
for
Progress and Equality, Inc.
Justice Ministry
The congregation then sent additional
members down to the river and found that
every day people were falling in. Lots of
congregations in the city joined together to
help pull people out of the river, and worked
together to care for those rescued. This took
a lot of energy and soon all the rescuers
and their resources were totally exhausted.
One day the congregations held a joint
meeting to discuss the situation. One of the
members said, “We have worked long and
hard, rescuing many people from the river,
and that is good. Yet, it will be an endless
task until we go upstream and find out
why people are falling in.”
Going upstream
to tackle the root
of the problem
is the task of HOPE!
Get Involved ...813-221-HOPE
HOPE is affiliated with the
D.A.R.T.* Network
(*Direct Action and Research Training Center)
www.thedartcenter.org
Congregations
Working Together
For Justice
Fairness and Dignity
5103 N. Central Avenue Tampa, FL 33603
813-221-HOPE (4673)
www.HillsboroughHOPE.org
THE HOPE MISSION
The Hillsborough Organization for Progress
and Equality, HOPE, Inc., is a vehicle for
congregations committed to improving the
quality of life in Hillsborough County work
together to achieve a greater degree of justice.
Based on the shared values of justice, love
of neighbor and dignity of people, HOPE’s
mission is to engage and train residents to
identify common community problems,
research systemic solutions, and hold systems
accountable to implement long-term solutions.
LONG-RANGE GOALS
1. Strengthen the ability of members to act on
their values to love, respect, and treat their
neighbors fairly.
2. Engage members in relationship building to
identify and connect with others to tackle
common community problems.
3. Enhance the skills of members to build the
power needed to hold the political and
economic systems accountable for fair
policies and procedures that ensure justice.
3. Correct inequities in education, housing,
health care, employment, criminal justice,
transportation, public services, police
protection, neighborhood infrastructure.
HOPE is Funded in 3 Ways
1. Dues from member congregations
2. Individual and business investments
3. Non-governmental grants
HOPE is a private, non-profit, 501(c)3
federally tax-exempt organization.
MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENTS
EDUCATION REFORM
Suspensions: Got the School District to establish
ATOSS (Alternative To Out of School Suspension)
program, supervising and protecting GPAs of tens of
thousands of suspended children. Won commitment
not to suspend children out of school for tardiness.
Reading: Got $921,000 in state funding for the
Hillsborough School District to implement the proven
Direct Instruction (DI) reading program to teach
children to read in 10 low performing elementary
schools. Helped get $7.25 million in state funding for
use of DI in 7 Florida School Districts.
Minority Teachers: Won employment of a Minority
Teacher Recruiter by the School District to hire more
Black & Hispanic teachers.
EMPLOYMENT
Fair Chance Hiring: Persuaded Tampa City Council
to pass the Tampa Criminal History Screening Practices
Ordinance to reduce discrimination and open doors to
jobs by removing the question about a criminal history
from initial applications for jobs with the City.
Job Training: Encouraged HCC to create 9 Fast-Track
Job Skill Certificate Programs to equip people with skills
needed for jobs, and did outreach to the unemployed.
ARREST AVOIDANCE
Civil Citations: Helped expand FL Civil Citation law
so children can receive a civil citation program up to 3
times for misdemeanors, instead of being arrested.
PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION
Bus Service: Encouraged HART to extend late night
bus service on 8 major routes until 1:00 a.m. during
the week and 2 extra hours on weekends, and to build
bus shelters at targeted locations.
HEALTH CARE
Dental Services: Increased dental services for
people with low incomes by gaining at least 36 more
dental chairs in health care centers in the county.
Behavioral Health: Helped expand Drug Court so
more non-violent offenders can get substance abuse
treatment instead of going to jail.
HOUSING/HOMELESS
Birth Certificates and IDs: Got Hillsborough
County to establish a program to assist the homeless
in getting Birth Certificates and IDs in order to obtain
needed shelter, housing, and employment.
Rent: The County and Clerk of the Circuit Court
committed to expedite rent assistance checks so that
landlords receive them within 14 days.
NEIGHBORHOOD IMPROVEMENT
Prostitution: Got Tampa Code Enforcement and the
Tampa Police Department to clean up prostitution and
illegal drug activity around churches on Nebraska Ave.
Rezoning: Reclaimed Dobyville, a historic African
American residential neighborhood, by reversing the
1950 Industrial Zoning to Residential and Mixed Use
Zoning, leading to development of housing.
Demolition: Encouraged Tampa Mayor to demolish
and clean up the abandoned Belmont Heights Lumber
Company, a dangerous health, safety, and fire hazard.
Hotspots: Anti-Drug Campaign that held local law
enforcement accountable to protect neighborhoods by
tackling illegal drug activity at identified locations.
Sidewalks: Won construction of a 1.2-mile sidewalk
on 22nd St. in East Tampa at a cost of $65,000 to City
of Tampa, leading to construction of more sidewalks.
Jobs: Helped establish the Tampa Women/Minority
Business Enterprise Ordinance.
CRIME PREVENTION
Code Enforcement: Got City of Tampa to rehab
or demolish 200 abandoned and/or condemned
buildings, cut 100 overgrown empty lots, gaining 50%
increase in City’s Code Enforcement Budget.
Infrastructure: Won traffic signs, street repair,
drainage, and upgraded street lighting in Belmont
Heights, Ybor City, Tampa Heights and Jackson
Heights from Tampa’s Department of Public Works.