Memphis and Shelby County will receive $11 million in funding to address homelessness in vulnerable populations. This funding came from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in the Continuum of Care Program Competition, and was procured by the Community Alliance for the Homeless (CAFTH) and the Memphis & Shelby County Homeless Consortium.
Previously, Memphis and Shelby County received $8.9 million which was used for housing for youth, families, and other individuals. This year, the nearly $2 million increase will help LGBTQ populations and people fleeing domestic violence.
Emma Boehme, Continuum of Care project coordinator for CAFTH, said when they’re dealing with youth systems in CAFTH, they are also helping LGBTQ youth. Boehme added that the LGBTQ youth community, “especially in states like Tennessee,” experience homelessness disproportionately.
“Tennessee doesn’t have any systems currently in place that are measuring the hard data surrounding that because Tennessee isn’t the safest place for that,” said Boehme. “Nationwide, LGBTQ youth are 120 percent more likely to experience homelessness than non-LGBTQ+ youth, and 22 percent of LGBTQ youth are actively experiencing poverty and housing insecurity compared to 11.5 percent of the general population.”
Julie Meiman, Continuum of Care planning director for CAFTH, said the grant mainly funds two different types of programs. Rapid re-housing is a medium- to long-term rental assistance, while permanent supportive housing is for people who have a disability “who need long-term assistance to stay stably housed.”
“Through those they [HUD] want to serve all populations. Included in this funding is our youth homelessness funding. About 2 million of that award includes funding for youth and special populations,” said Meiman. “The Continuum of Care grant, known as the NOFO [Notice of Funding Opportunities], is an annual funding opportunity offered by HUD for Continuum of Care regions around the country.”
Meiman said CAFTH is the lead agency for Memphis and Shelby County and is responsible for leading the grant process. The grant is submitted on behalf of agencies including Metropolitan Inter-Faith Association (MIFA), Friends for All, Promise Development Corporation, OUTMemphis, Catholic Charities of West Tennessee, and others.
“Everything about this process is as accessible as possible,” Meiman said. “Once HUD announces that the application is open, we immediately post a timeline on our website. Even before the date is announced we’re doing workshops inviting people, especially new agencies that have never received HUD funding to run a housing program. HUD wants to fund new projects.”
Meiman said applying for federal funding is a “complicated and lengthy” process, so they make a special effort to make sure new and returning applicants understand every step.
“All agencies serving any population of people experiencing homelessness are encouraged to apply for this funding in August of 2024,” said CAFTH in a statement. “Community Alliance for the Homeless is thrilled to play a pivotal role in bringing increased funding to the community to impact homelessness. They will continue to leverage a combination of federal, state, and local funding to address all areas of the homeless system, in conjunction with their partners in the City of Memphis, Shelby County Government, and the member agencies of the Memphis and Shelby County Homeless Consortium.”