Orange Mound native Britney Thornton opened JUICE Orange Mound with her vision of helping Orange Mound residents lay hold of the prestige and self-reliance that has deep roots in the historic African-American community.
After 11 months of operating at 2363 Park Ave., the City of Memphis closed the shelter’s doors on Feb. 1.
“I knew that there were things in the center that needed to be corrected,” Thornton said. “There are code and zoning issues, putting it simply. I have not been resistant to correcting what needs to be corrected. It has always been a matter of funding.”
Thornton said in her vision of JUICE, the doors always would be open, especially for the “unhoused community” to have a warm place to stay in the winter months.
By Tuesday (Feb. 8), her “regulars” still were trying to cope with the ice storm and freezing temperatures.
“Before the storm hit on Thursday (Feb. 3), they just kind of camped out in the parking lot,” said Thornton. “This was ‘home’ for so many of them. When the ice storm hit, they just scattered.
“Some went to abandoned houses. Others couch surfed with friends and family. They just went wherever they could.”
Adjacent to the center is a plot of land that came with the building, Thornton said. Some of the men took the fallen branches and made a fire to keep warm through the frigid nights.
“Some of them just stayed because there was no place for them to go,” said Thornton. “As you can see, the land is cleared of all the fallen branches. That fire kept them warm through the weekend.”
When warmer temperatures returned Monday (Feb. 7) and Tuesday, it was a welcome relief for JUICE residents, said Thornton.
They returned to check and see if there was news on the reopening of the shelter.
Thornton said the “rooming house community” and the homeless community is close. They sometimes change places back and forth.
One resident has a special bond with Thornton.
“I was here from the beginning,” said Ben Laden. (Thornton laughs and admits that she gets some very sketchy answers when she asks about his name.)
“When the ice started falling, we just tried to get wherever we could to from it,” said Laden.
“But then, we got the idea to build a fire with the wood to stay warm. We did that until the warm temperatures came back Monday. We’re still around, hoping the shelter can be opened again soon.”
According to the city, a big issue was running water. Reportedly, there were no working restrooms, shower, laundry or sleeping facilities that separated men from women and children. Shelters must have those facilities, along with the provision of three meals a day.
Thornton has been cited to court several times. She said the building could reopen if its code violations are corrected.
Thornton would like to see the shelter reopened, fully operational, and zoned to operate as a warming center.
Thornton has used her personal money to keep doors open and is presently seeking sustained funding for the shelter.
For more information, or, if you can help, go to: www.juiceorangemound.org.
