What is HOPE?
http://hillsboroughhope.org
HOPE (Hillsborough Organization for Progress and Equality) is a multicultural and interfaith multi-issue, grassroots, community organization comprising 16 member congregations throughout Hillsborough County. Our congregation joined HOPE in 1993, as one of the various cultures, denominations, and faiths in Hillsborough County. Organizationally, HOPE is a private, non-profit, 501(c) 3, tax-exempt, nonpartisan community organization founded and incorporated in the State of Florida in 1988.

HOPE’s mission is to promote justice, fairness, and the dignity of people, by engaging and training people to responsibly and successfully act together to hold officials accountable for improving the systems affecting the quality of life in our communities. We do that by listening to our members and neighbors to identify common community problems, researching solutions, and then publicly engaging decision-makers to obtain their commitment to implement those solutions.

HOPE is funded in three ways: 1) Dues from member organizations; 2) Investments from individuals, small businesses, and local corporations; and 3) Grants. We do not accept United Way or government funds.

HOPE’s Long Range Goals
• Strengthen member organizations’ influence upon the quality of life in their community.
• Engage members in listening and relationship building processes to identify and successfully address community problems.
• Enhance the members’ civic action skills to publicly hold accountable the political and economic systems responsible for ensuring justice and fairness.
• Correct inequities in education, public services, neighborhood infrastructure, housing, employment, health care, police protection, and traffic safety.

HOPE’s organizing process has achieved noteworthy victories.
• In January 2013, the City of Tampa passed an ordinance that removes the question about a criminal history from their job application, to decrease discrimination in the hiring process.
• The county established a Birth Certificates and ID Program for the homeless, providing over 2,800 birth certificates and IDs to date.
• The school system created the Alternative to Out of School Suspension (ATOSS) program at a cost of $1.7 million/year, positively affecting over 150,000 suspended children in the past 14 years!

Currently, HOPE is working on 3 issues:
• Affordable Housing Trust Fund
• Tampa Ordinance Expansion Issue
• Criminal Justice