Hope 929’s “The Gateway Harrison” project, announced last year, has not seen any building progress on the proposed building site, but it has continued to be the subject of discussion in the community.
The planned site is east of Hwy 7 and its intersection with Hwy 43, on Cowetta Falls Road. The project includes an apartment complex with a total of 30 apartments and a call center for 50 employees.
Public forums, hosted both by Hope 929 as well as other organizations, have given community members opportunities to raise questions and concerns about the undertaking. Some recurring themes in these public discussions have been concerns over issues of safety and security at the new housing development and concern over the nature of business that will be conducted at the call center.
Liz Darden, co-founder and CEO of Hope 929 issued a statement this week, seeking to clarify some of the information sought on the matters.
Addressing concerns over safety and security, Darden shared that the group intends to implement a range of security measures on the premises, “There will be an on-site manager 24/7 who is readily available to address any issues that may arise. Additionally, there will be a strict set of guidelines and policies that tenants will be required to abide by monthly. Installation of CCTV cameras on the property will help with daily monitoring of The Gateway Harrison site.”
The co-founder noted that additional steps taken to ensure safety include an up-front evaluation of tenant applications, “We understand the importance of thorough background checks, which is why we go above and beyond to conduct Nationwide Background checks, National Sex Offender checks, and local Harrison Police Department criminal background checks on every individual seeking to be housed at The Gateway Harrison,” said Darden, “Those individuals who do not meet our rigorous standards will not be allowed on the property.”
With regard to the call center, Darden countered rumors that the services offered there would be politically motivated, “At Hope 929, we firmly commit to upholding the highest standards of professionalism and ethics in our call center operations. As part of this commitment, we have made the decision not to allow the use of our call center for outbound calls believed to be of a political nature, including but not limited to controversial topics such as Black Lives Matter, defunding the police, or similar organizations.”
Darden reiterated that the call center was aligned with the same principals the organization seeks to abide by in their housing — prioritizing services that “benefit the immediate community.” Darden stated, “Our primary focus (with the call center) is on creating job opportunities for the growth and development of our community, as well as providing our employees with valuable skill sets.”
The full text of the “Hope 929 Pledge of Accountability” will be available on the group’s website at hope929.org and on Hope 929’s social media sites.
