OUR STORY

Memphis Area Cooperative began in 1988 as a collaborative effort among local churches with a mission to address the homeless issue in Shelby County. The pillar of the initiative was a Life Skills Lab designed to support the under-resourced population. The organization was renamed HopeWorks and received its 501(c)(3) status in 1998. The bedrock soft skills programming was fortified and titled Personal and Career Development (PCD).

2016 was a pivotal year in the HopeWorks story. An invitation was extended to bring the PCD program behind bars at the Shelby County Division of Corrections to serve the incarcerated and prepare them for life beyond release. Simultaneously, the Tennessee Board of Labor and Workforce granted the largest amount of funding in Shelby County to HopeWorks to prepare and administer High School Equivalency testing. That grant grew to include Engish as a Second Language classes for all nationalities.

The expansion of services brought significant growth to HopeWorks. Over 70 compassionate educators, career coaches and coordinators work in 6 locations across Shelby County.

building a better Memphis
for over 35 years