MEMPHIS, Tenn. — After an Orange Mound shelter was shut down during the ice storm, Shelby County Assessor Melvin Burgess is pushing for local leaders to support the organization’s effort.
JUICE Orange Mound operates out of a former retail store in the 2300 block of Park Ave. During the day, the center helps coordinate services for the homeless. At night, up to 10 people would sleep there before it was shut down.
The 'Orange Mound Task Force' said Orange Mound does not have a warming center in Orange Mound to house more than 20 people that need shelter, and JUICE fulfilled that role.
The city said it shut down the shelter due to the building being unsafe and not up to code.
In a news conference Thursday, Burgess said local leaders should help to get the facility up to code.
“I’m very thankful for Miss Brittani, Miss Thornton. Like I said, she did something for us, for the community, for the city that, when nobody else do, she took time out, and effort and had a heart at a time when no one cared, she cared,” said one resident helped by the organization.