This spring, the Hospitality Hub built five studio units across from our Plaza location at 590 Washington as part of an effort to increase the number of tools and pathways available to people working to exit homelessness. Our staff works with thousands of clients each year to understand their needs and identify pathways out of homelessness. No two clients’ needs and goals are the same. While some clients may come to the Hub with existing housing preferences and necessary paperwork, others need time to consider their options and collect required documents for admission to shelters or transitional housing. Sometimes, there are no immediate shelter options available that meet their needs.
Top: a Hub client sits inside one of the new Studios. Bottom-left: Hub Studio keys are lined up in the foreground with the Hub Studios in the background. Bottom-right: two IKEA volunteers put together furniture donated by IKEA.
We built the Hub Studios to make quality affordable housing options accessible to clients whose needs don’t match existing shelter or housing options. These studios grant time and space to clients who need it and are flexible enough to accommodate many types of clients in need.
IKEA generously donated all of the fixtures, decor, and furniture inside each unit. IKEA staff (pictured above with several Hub staff) even came out to help deliver and construct furniture for each unit!
This pilot project was made possible by the generous support of the Memphis Department of Housing and Urban Development, IKEA, Memphis & Shelby County Office of Planning and Development, and Memphis & Shelby County Code Enforcement.
Click to watch a video about the development of the new Hub Studios.
Thank you.
Kelcey Johnson
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