Junior Alexis Smith not only sacrificed a school night to attend an Akron city council meeting, but the Project HOPE volunteer also emotionally addressed the audience of approximately 225 Monday night, Sept. 10, advocating for the homeless living on the near East side in a commune known as Tent City.   

Tent City, formerly known as Second Chance Village, has been a regular stop for Hoban volunteers in Project HOPE–a service opportunity that feeds and interacts with the homeless in downtown Akron. Located on 15 Broad St. in Akron’s Middlebury neighborhood and founded by real estate businessman Sage Lewis, the allotment sits behind his antique store and serves as a refuge for those who fall victim to homelessness. Facing legal issues and neighborhood complaints, a city council meeting was held at the Municipal Courthouse on Sept. 10 as a last chance for Tent City’s survival.  

Smith was not the only Hoban student to show public advocacy that night. Two other Hoban juniors, Jacob Fahey and Pete Stitzel, joined to fight for Tent City “residents” they’ve come to know through Project HOPE.

“The room was packed with an electric, desperate feel,” Stitzel said.  “It was full of support, hope and compassion from countless people.”

As the meeting ensued, Smith sat idly by until she felt compelled to add her perspective to the issue–a perspective rooted directly from her Wednesday sessions of Project HOPE.

“You could tell everyone in the room was desperate to save the last oasis they had,” Smith said. “I was standing in the back taking notes and suddenly just felt the need to go up and defend these people who have done nothing to deserve this. The Akron City council wanted to protect their city, yet the homeless are the city.”

Below is the transcript of Smith’s address and an attached link to a video recording:

“Hello. I’m Alexis Smith and I am from Archbishop Hoban. I’m only 16 and I am spending my Monday night here instead of doing homework because this was important. I don’t have any credentials, but I have compassion and a heart. At Archbishop Hoban we have a thing called Project HOPE where we come every Wednesday and we distribute food around the community to all the homeless and our last stop is always Tent City. We give them everything we have–everything we have left–and we always sit down with everyone and we hear about stories and though I’ve grown up privileged–I went to St. Hilary, I go to a private school, I’m fortunate– not everyone is. Everyone here is one step away from homelessness. Stock market, anything. Something can go wrong in your life that will leave you on the streets and I know this and I’m sixteen. And I don’t have a degree, but I just think it’s crazy how this is even up for debate because there are people here, people just like you and I, and they need houses– they need a way to live. They need people to care. They need people to step in their shoes and see how they see. Because I’ve never been homeless, but I could be. And I would wish for someone to stand up for me. And though my generation is known for the generation always on their phones, always on on Netflix, always doing something else– we’re out here. Some of the other students here tonight, this is what we care about. This is what I want to spend my life doing and I hope you all have a bit of fight in you because this is what’s important in life. We need people to step up and make a change because change only happens when you step out of your comfort zone. And to step out of your comfort zone means you have to interact with people you haven’t always known, just like when we go out to Project HOPE every week. People at tent city are the nicest people I’ve ever met. They [residents at Tent City] know how to be there for you and this is your chance to be there for them. Because we’re all human. And you just need have compassion and a heart just like everyone else, so thank you…”

The video link: https://hobanvisor.news/?p=1586&preview=true