The single-story red house sits beside a vacant corner lot where insects buzz in the tall grass. Inside, it’s mostly empty, with three gray bedrooms and a kitchen full of flooring supplies. But as he walks through the house, Keedran Franklin sees only possibilities.
“All the bedrooms are on the same side, so we’re going to knock the walls out and make it dormitory-style,” he says, gesturing to indicate the length of the future communal sleeping area. “We’ll have cocktail tables here, cafeteria-style. This’ll be our research area, where we’ll have laptops, bookshelves for people learning how to apply for jobs, apply for apartments.”
While he talks, he points around the future dining area and computer lab like he can already see the renovations.
Franklin is the executive director of the Community Unity Council, a Memphis group that brings together members of street organizations — a term he prefers over “gangs” — to engage in community service work and reentry support following incarceration.
Now, his group is setting down roots in a permanent space. The South Memphis home will soon become the Heart of Opportunities House: a resource hub and transitional housing program with wraparound services to help young men achieve stability.
Franklin’s group encounters many young men struggling with homelessness, unemployment, substance use disorders and unaddressed trauma. Some are trying to stay sober while looking for stable housing. Others are aging out of the foster care system with nowhere to go.
“The need is there,” Franklin said. “I want to get a blank canvas, and then bring people in here to show them what we want it to look like.”
He and his brother, Jeremy, have been refinishing the home’s floors in preparation for a private event with community stakeholders on Monday. But until the space is fully renovated and staffed for overnight guests, Franklin plans to utilize it in other ways.
“Even before we actually house people here, we will be organizing out of this space,” he said. He wants to bring his group’s trauma support meetings into the house, give out snacks to kids after school, start a backyard garden and stock businesswear that clients can borrow for job interviews.
Funding for these programs will come from a combination of donations, grant money and Franklin’s signature make-it-work attitude. He recently launched a fundraising page, breaking down some of the expected costs to get the space and its many programs up and running.
“One thing about me, I’mma find the money,” he said. His first goal is to be able to pay his staff, most of whom currently volunteer their time while working other jobs. He’s also in the process of establishing the Community Unity Council as a development cooperative, which can help open up new funding opportunities.
Franklin hopes to launch the transitional housing portion of the program before the year ends. To get there, he’s seeking donations of both money and appliances, like a fridge and stove for the kitchen and a stacked washer-dryer for the laundry room.
And while he has no shortage of ideas for what the Heart of Opportunities House could offer, he’s hoping to get feedback from the community about what they want to see take shape in the space.
“That’s an act of evil, if I create something for you without your input,” he said. “We have our idea, but we want to hear from the people also.”
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Natalie Wallington is the housing reporter for MLK50: Justice Through Journalism. Email her at natalie.wallington@mlk50.com.
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