Homeless Outreach Poverty Eradication

HOPE seeks to act as a community development organization that creates inclusive and progressive projects to advance solutions to homelessness.

HOPE is dedicated to serving those living in poverty in the Chapel Hill community and linking those in need with those who want to help.

HOPE has been a standing committee of the UNC Campus Y since 1980.

HOPE's projects include:

Community Empowerment Fund - local microfinance initiative targeted towards the homeless

Talking Sidewalks - homeless literary magazine http://www.unc.edu/~youngjb/TalkingSidewalks/

Faces of Franklin St - documentary on homelessness in Chapel Hill

Poverty Awareness Week - week of events during the Spring Semester to advance campus awareness and solution-oriented action

Box-Out - biggest annual fundraiser, during which students sleep out in the Pit for a night in cardboard boxes

HOPE Garden - community garden and employment program for the homeless in Chapel Hill

HOPE Soccer - homeless soccer team

HOPE also coordinates awareness-raising events on campus and in the community such as the Box Out, during which students get sponsored to spend the night in cardboard boxes, listen to speakers, and watch documentaries to gain a better understanding of the issues of poverty and homelessness. In March of 2008, 150 students participated, raising $2000 for Orange County Project Homeless Connect 2008 (PHC). HOPE helps plan PHC by providing volunteers, organizing student outreach, and gathering donations of food for over 1200 meals. PHC in October of 2007 served 150 individuals. The money raised during Box-Out 2008 will be used to serve 250 people at PHC 2008. Furthermore, HOPE has made documentaries on homelessness, compiling interviews with individuals living on the street and in the shelters. HOPE screened the first of these documentaries on Chapel Hill Homelessness Awareness Day, followed by a discussion led by local policymakers and service providers. Seventy-five people attended this event. During Spring Break 2008, HOPE sent 14 members to volunteer at agencies such as Habitat for Humanity, SEEDS Garden in Durham, Food Bank of NC, and Wheels for Hope. Throughout the academic year, HOPE also works with PATH, the IFC, Project HomeStart, OPC-MHC, and the Partnership to End Homelessness. The UNC Campus Y has provided the committee with a great support system to accomplish these projects, but we are not supported by other government programs. HOPE has about 50 active members, 25 of whom engage in at least 20 hours of community service a semester.

To raise over $10,000 through the Box-Out to launch the Community Empowerment Fund.

Maggie has been co-chair since Fall 2007. To contact Maggie, email her at maggiemwest@gmail.com.

Megan has been co-chair since Fall 2008. To contact Megan, email her at mestrick89@gmail.com

Jon Young - Chair of Media Productions, jonathanbyoung@gmail.com

David Baron - HOPE Garden Coordinator, dbaron@email.unc.edu

Alyssa Ventimiglia - HomeStart Coordinator, alyssajv@email.unc.edu

Lane Baldwin - HOPE Soccer Coordinator, albaldwi@email.unc.edu

Christine Dragonette - Box-Out Co-Chair, dragonet@email.unc.edu

Andrew Ruigrok - Box-Out Co-Chair, ruigrok@email.unc.edu

Kati Barnes - Box-Out Co-Chair, barnesk@email.unc.edu

Swathi Sekar - Publicity Chair, swathi428@gmail.com

United States

North Carolina

104 Airport Drive AOB Suite 3600 CB 1260

Chapel Hill, NC 27599

Phone: (919) 270-5730

http://campus-y.unc.edu/index.php/hope

EIN: 99-9995555