Focus: HOPE is a non-profit organization founded in Detroit in March of 1968 by Father William T. Cunningham, Father Jerome Fraser, and Eleanor Josaitis. These three individuals founded the organization in hopes of creating a diverse community in which the people can coexist and work together harmoniously. Initially, Father Cunningham was able to repurpose the basement of his church, the Catholic Church of Madonna, as a campus to incubate this new concept but later, the organization grew into a 40-acre campus along Oakman Boulevard. The organization was initially founded in the wake of the 1967 Detroit civil unrest as an oasis in which a multitude of diverse individuals could work together to commit themselves to action to overcome racism, poverty, and injustice.
The organization’s first project involved a widely distributed consumer survey on the food and prescription drug prices disparity between inner-city and suburban Detroit. This survey revealed that inner-city areas paid around 20% more for their food and prescription drugs than people in the suburbs, despite suburban Detroit's higher average income level. As a result of this research, Focus: HOPE became the host agency for the Commodity Supplemental Food Program for Detroit which is an organization that works to improve the health and quality of life of low-income seniors.
A major project carried out by Focus: HOPE was its coalition formed in opposition of the relocation of the Automobile Association of America in 1972. AAA was attempting to move its Michigan headquarters from Detroit to Dearborn, a Detroit suburb with a black population of less than 0.02%. Focus: HOPE filed a class action lawsuit against this move, labeling this move as one with racial motivation due to the 200 black employees that would be forced out of their job at AAA as a result of this relocation. The organization financially supported much of the legal action against AAA and in 1983 a settlement was reached for a large cash amount and a court-ordered affirmative action program to be implemented by AAA. A portion of the cash amount was put into the Housing and Transportation trust fund, founded under the mission of providing low-interest mortgages and automobile loans for black employees of AAA. While this lawsuit was going on, Focus: HOPE also funded a gender discrimination class action lawsuit against AAA which resulted in AAA’s guilty ruling.
Focus: HOPE has continued to commit itself to social good and currently operates multiple community and economic development efforts. Furthermore, they also dedicate themselves to neighborhood improvement efforts such as blight removal, illegal dumping prevention and park restoration.
The organization’s first project involved a widely distributed consumer survey on the food and prescription drug prices disparity between inner-city and suburban Detroit. This survey revealed that inner-city areas paid around 20% more for their food and prescription drugs than people in the suburbs, despite suburban Detroit's higher average income level. As a result of this research, Focus: HOPE became the host agency for the Commodity Supplemental Food Program for Detroit which is an organization that works to improve the health and quality of life of low-income seniors.
A major project carried out by Focus: HOPE was its coalition formed in opposition of the relocation of the Automobile Association of America in 1972. AAA was attempting to move its Michigan headquarters from Detroit to Dearborn, a Detroit suburb with a black population of less than 0.02%. Focus: HOPE filed a class action lawsuit against this move, labeling this move as one with racial motivation due to the 200 black employees that would be forced out of their job at AAA as a result of this relocation. The organization financially supported much of the legal action against AAA and in 1983 a settlement was reached for a large cash amount and a court-ordered affirmative action program to be implemented by AAA. A portion of the cash amount was put into the Housing and Transportation trust fund, founded under the mission of providing low-interest mortgages and automobile loans for black employees of AAA. While this lawsuit was going on, Focus: HOPE also funded a gender discrimination class action lawsuit against AAA which resulted in AAA’s guilty ruling.
Focus: HOPE has continued to commit itself to social good and currently operates multiple community and economic development efforts. Furthermore, they also dedicate themselves to neighborhood improvement efforts such as blight removal, illegal dumping prevention and park restoration.
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