Mission
Mission
At A Lee Dog Story, we are committed to engaging the public with stories of life on the streets and recovery through the power of art, film and storytelling.
As Homes for Hearts builds new tiny homes for people experiencing chronic homelessness, we will capture the story of our city uniting to bring permanent community-driven change.
A Lee Dog Story will actualize a new paradigm on homelessness by creating unique art and film that changes the hearts and minds of communities everywhere.
Beloved Community
Beloved community means believing in justice and equal opportunity while always committing to show love to fellow human beings. Each of our Cottage Courts will be anchored by the establishment of a beloved community, made up of the residents and the surrounding neighborhood.
Dignity
Personal and communal dignity are at the very foundation of human rights, and are inextricably linked to the principles of equality and non-discrimination. At A Lee Dog Story and Homes for Hearts, we are committed to promoting the dignity of every individual and every community we engage with.
Affordable, Sustainable Housing
Homes for Hearts is committed to establishing affordable, sustainable housing to ensure that the neighborhoods we work in are revitalized, not gentrified.
Storytelling through Art
It is our belief that art has the tremendous power to change the hearts and minds of individuals and communities everywhere. A Lee Dog Story will seek to tell the story of those experiencing homelessness and their path to recovery through art and film.
Our Heart
A Lee Dog Story was inspired by Lee Brown, a Memphis native who passed away July 14, 2018. Lee Thomas Brown, aka ‘Lee Dog’, lived on the streets of Memphis for almost 20 years, but in his last 15 years he was able to get off the streets and into stable, affordable housing with the help of the Memphis community.
At A Lee Dog Story, we believe that Lee’s story can serve as an inspiration to those currently experiencing homelessness, while also giving a blueprint to community members who want to end homelessness permanently. At A Lee Dog Story, we are committed to learning as much as we can from Lee’s story and other individuals currently experiencing homelessness. Once we know their stories, we can work together in solidarity to help bring an end to the plague of homelessness in our communities.
“Don’t make no difference what materials people come up with, it’s what you got inside your heart.” – Lee Brown
Lee Thomas Brown, the gentle giant who warmed Midtown’s heart and won over its people, has left our city with one incredible, inspiring story to tell.
Tiny Homes
At A Lee Dog Story, we believe that Tiny Homes and Cottage Courts are the solution to Memphis’ affordable housing crisis.
There are still over 1,200 individuals and families without permanent, stable housing on any given night in our city and tens of thousands of additional families that are severely cost burdened and at risk of facing homelessness.
Tiny homes are the cheapest, most sustainable, and most ecologically friendly solution to creating permanent, affordable housing in various neighborhoods in Memphis.
Cottage Courts can provide our residents and city connectivity, sustainability, livability, and opportunity.
Core focus areas of the Memphis 3.0 plan are connectivity, sustainability, livability, and opportunity. Homes for Hearts will be such a place.
Homes for Hearts has aligned eight of the eight “Goals” defined in the Memphis’ 3.0 Plan, with 117 “Objective Actions” that we can help Memphis achieve.
Memphis Art Prints
At A Lee Dog Story, we believe that art is incredibly powerful and helps to connect and celebrate community, showcase values, and embrace the humanity of all people. In order to change the current paradigm on homelessness in Memphis and around the country, A Lee Dog Story and Homes for Hearts will come together as a community to learn more about the humanity of those experiencing homelessness through a variety of artistic mediums.
A Lee Dog Story is collaborating with different artists from around the world to create a series of art prints inspired by our nonprofit organization, A Lee Dog Story.
Exclusive, original and affordable art prints by nationally recognized artists will be released on our website, with 100% proceeds going to our 501(c)(3) tax exempt nonprofit organization, A Lee Dog Story.
TV series
Through the form of a TV docuseries and with the help of a National Media Network, A Lee Dog Story aims to help raise national awareness of some of the causes and effects surrounding homelessness, helping create a new paradigm on poverty and homelessness.
By connecting with our audience, we hope our TV Series will push viewers to think more openly, and challenge themselves to see the world from a different viewpoint. We believe that by bringing the world together to share these stories of homelessness and a community uniting, it will help make us more tolerant of difference and of one another.
A Lee Dog Story is a 501(c)3 Federally Exempt, nonprofit organization.
All donations are tax deductible.
US 501(c)3 posted below
EIN : 83 – 1297137
At A Lee Dog Story, we are committed to engaging the public with stories of life on the streets and recovery through the power of art, film and storytelling. Together with Homes for Hearts, we will create quality, self-managed Cottage Court communities of cost-effective tiny homes for people experiencing homelessness.
