Prior to this, $8.9 million was given to Shelby County and Memphis.
Funding totaling $11 million will be given to Memphis and Shelby County to fight homelessness among disadvantaged groups. This grant was obtained by the Memphis & Shelby County Homeless Consortium and the Community Alliance for the Homeless (CAFTH) through the Continuum of Care Program Competition with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
Prior to this, $8.9 million was given to Memphis and Shelby County for housing for families, young people, and other individuals. The roughly $2 million boost this year will benefit the LGBTQ community as well as those escaping domestic abuse.
According to Emma Boehme, CAFTH’s Continuum of Care project coordinator, LGBTQ adolescents are assisted when CAFTH works with its youth systems. Boehme continued, saying that homelessness among LGBTQ kids is disproportionate, “especially in states like Tennessee.”
Since Tennessee isn’t the safest location for that, Boehme stated, “Tennessee doesn’t currently have any systems in place that are measuring the hard data surrounding that.” “LGBTQ+ youth face a disproportionate amount of poverty and housing insecurity—22% of them—compared to 11.5 percent of the general population. Additionally, LGBTQ youth are 120 percent more likely to become homeless than non-LGBTQ+ youth nationwide.”
According to Julie Meiman, director of CAFTH’s Continuum of Care planning, the award primarily supports two distinct program types. While permanent supportive housing is for persons with disabilities “who need long-term assistance to stay stably housed,” rapid re-housing offers medium- to long-term rental assistance.
“They [HUD] hope to serve all populations through those. Our financing for youth homelessness is included in this allocation. Meiman stated that money for young and special populations makes up about two million of that grant. “HUD offers Continuum of Care regions across the nation an annual funding opportunity known as the NOFO [Notice of Funding Opportunities] grant.”
According to Meiman, CAFTH is in charge of overseeing the grant application process and is the main organization for Memphis and Shelby County. The Metropolitan Inter-Faith Association (MIFA), Friends for All, Promise Development Corporation, OUTMemphis, Catholic Charities of West Tennessee, and other organizations are among the organizations that have filed the grant application.
Meiman stated, “Everything about this process is as accessible as possible.” “As soon as HUD declares the application period open, we update our website with a timeframe. We are doing seminars even before the date is set, and we are inviting everyone, especially new groups who have never before gotten financing from HUD to operate a housing program. HUD desires fresh project funding.
According to Meiman, the process of applying for government funds is “complicated and lengthy,” thus extra care is taken to ensure that both new and repeat candidates are aware of every stage.
In a statement, CAFTH stated that “all agencies serving any population of people experiencing homelessness are encouraged to apply for this funding in August of 2024.” “Community Alliance for the Homeless is excited to be a key player in providing the community with more money to address homelessness. Together with their partners in the City of Memphis, Shelby County Government, and the member agencies of the Memphis and Shelby County Homeless Consortium, they will persist in utilizing a blend of federal, state, and local financing to tackle every aspect of the homelessness system.