Weekly Update

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Friends,

The storms at the beginning of this week hit hard leaving many without power and some without a place to go home.

One of the hardest hit areas was the Cottonwood Apartments in Parkway Village. Extensive damage caused by Monday morning’s storm left some of the Cottonwood Apartments unsafe for residents. There are 47 buildings on the property; 41 of them received some type of damage; and 16 received extensive damage. Because of this, MLG&W was forced to turn off gas and some electricity to the complex, and City of Memphis Code Enforcement has restricted access to some of the buildings. Residents of those 16 structurally unsafe buildings, in coordination with the property owner and the City, are in the process of finding other housing arrangements.

The safety of the residents during this already difficult time is our top priority. The last thing we want to happen is for someone get hurt or worse because they tried to remain in a building that is not safe. We’re working diligently with the property manager, the Office of Emergency Management, the Division of Housing and Community Development, Memphis Housing Authority, other local property managers, the Red Cross, Salvation Army and many others to help provide wrap-around services for residents’ short-term needs while at the same time working to find a long-term housing solution.

If you, your business, or your church family would like to volunteer or make a donation, please contact the Red Cross. To donate, visit redcross.org, call 1-800-REDCROSS or text REDCROSS to 90999 for an automatic $10 donation. To volunteer, visit redcross.org, or call the Mid-South Red Cross at 901-726-1690.

Opportunities in October: In 2015, Memphis was said by one national study to have the highest percentage of “opportunity youth” of any city in the country. For those who may not be familiar with the term, opportunity youth are young people between the ages of 16 – 24 years old, out of school, and are chronically unemployed. These young people are not being reached by our traditional means, and we must do more if we’re going to help them change course.

In this year’s budget presentation, I talked about a plan to help solve this issue, and we’re working that plan. This past Wednesday our Office of Youth Services and City of Memphis Communications hosted “Opportunities in October”. We partnered with Shelby County Schools, Southwest TN Community College, and Tennessee College of Applied Technology (TCAT) to offer an all-day session at the Pipkin building. During the event, attendees received training in resume writing, career planning, job readiness training, and help with navigating the many avenues of financial aid.

Overall, it was a well-attended, successful event, and we look forward to doing more of them in the coming year.

Happy Birthday Shelby County: Today, Mayors from all seven municipalities in Shelby County announced a special event that will be held on November 24th (Shelby County’s founding day) at Shelby Farms to commemorate 200 years of history.

Throughout our past, Memphis and Shelby County have played a major role in shaping the world as we know it today. Whether it’s our music, life-saving heroes at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, or the always reliable express package delivery from FedEx, Memphis touches people around the world every single day. To learn more about our history and the many events leading up the County bicentennial celebration, visit www.mem200.com.

Cheers to our New Century of Soul!

Yours,

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