By Terie L. Box
Staff Reporter
Hurt Village, a conglomerate of public housing units in downtown Memphis, amidst dilapidated, boarded-up buildings, is the deserted shell of a once tightly-knit community. But this atmosphere of inner city ruin and decay will soon be turned into one of life and growth.
The mission to save the community is a joint effort by the city of Memphis, The University of Memphis and the Memphis Housing Authority.
The poverty-stricken area, dubbed as “Uptown,” encompasses Hurt Village, a 450-unit public housing project on Auction Street, Lauderdale Courts and scattered sites in the community. It is bordered by the Wolf River, Jackson Avenue, Ayers Street and Chelsea Avenue.
Dr. Stan Hyland, head of the School of Urban Affairs and Public Policy at The U of M, said The University will have a definite role in the revitalization process.
“Our goal is to extend The University in partnership with the city and neighborhood to help revitalize it,” he said. “This will provide opportunities for students to get a real understanding of urban government, poverty, development, evaluation and job training.”
After receiving a HOPE VI grant of $35 million from the federal government, the city of Memphis added more than $18 million, along with public and private grants and loans, to total more than $126 million for the revitalization of the Uptown community.
The creation of the Uptown Resource Center was the first step in the revitalization process. The center opened in February on Auction Street beside Hurt Village. It was built on land owned by St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and has been leased by the city.
The center not only houses offices for North Memphis Community Development Corporation representatives, but also MHA representatives and MIFA representatives, who provide case workers for the residents, as well as The city’s office of Faith-Based Initiative.
The center’s location near Hurt Village allows residents to drop by to participate in shaping the planning of the new community.
“It’s essential to have the input of the residents,” said Kevin Wishbun, executive director of the NMCDC. “You can’t change a community without the input of those living in it.”
One way for the residents to have input is through the center’s computer lab.
The computer lab is also where job training sessions and computer training for residents will be held. In the future, the computer lab will be run by volunteers from The U of M.
Vanessa Spearman, program administrator at the Resource Center and teacher at The U of M, said the purpose of The University’s involvement in Uptown is twofold.
“Our job is the gathering of information, and then dispersing that information to the residents,” Spearman said.
One major role of the volunteers from The U of M is their work with geographic information systems mapping, which shows layers of information on a computer program that can include any information ranging from how many people live in the oldest houses to where the highest rates of unemployment typically appear. This information is collected and processed by students and volunteers who can then aid in mapping out the new community.
“The Internal Revenue Service will have a class here to help people file their taxes electronically,” Spearman said. “And we will need volunteers to help people individually.”
Besides offering training classes, residents can also use the lab to surf the Internet.
The plans for development of the new community include demolishing Hurt Village this fall and building about 1,150 new rental and for-sale homes for low-income families on the site.
In April of 1999, The MHA selected Lauderdale-Greenlaw LLC, a joint venture of two prominent Memphis developers, Belz Enterprises and Henry Turley Company, to develop the homes.
The new homes will serve households with a range of incomes in an attempt to create a mixed-income community. Improvements in the quality of streets, sidewalks, streetscape and lighting are also planned.
Former residents who wish to return to the rebuilt area will receive priority when the new homes become available.
According to Wishbun, all residents of Hurt Village had to be relocated in 2001 due to unsafe conditions.
“They were scattered all over,” he said.
So far, the number of residents wishing to move back into the neighborhood when homes become available has not been determined.
“Some of the residents in our focus groups have reported that they like their new neighborhoods, but others are having a hard time fitting in and making friends,” Spearman said. “We don’t have the numbers on that right now.”
As for long-term plans, initial resident move-ins are scheduled for June 2004.
“At this point, we are on schedule as planned,” Wishbun said.
