SHELBY COUNTY, Tenn — Homeless aid organization Room In The Inn hosted a vigil on Thursday night at Memphis' First Presbyterian Church in remembrance of the members of the city's homeless community who died in the last year.
22 names were read aloud, and while Executive Director Lisa Anderson said it's in line with previous years, the real number is likely far higher.
“I think we can safely say that it's a lot more than it was before COVID,” Anderson said. "Our numbers are lots more. The things that are different are that we are seeing a lot more families with children come here for shelter, and that is a difference."
Dec. 21, 2023, was chosen as it coincides with the winter solstice, and the longest night of the year. In attendance on Thursday was Memphis City Council member Jeff Warren. He sees this as a side effect of the housing crisis.
“A lot of this has to do with large corporations buying houses and then flipping them, doubling the rent after they paint them and taking them off the market from people that can actually afford to have them,” he said.
The numbers back up Warren's thinking. U.S. Housing and Urban Development said this month the homeless population increased by 12% in the last year, a record uptick.
“Right now, we can't do anything but ask the state to help give us some enabling laws. That's what they can do, they can enable us to be able to regulate an industry like this and maybe hold people accountable,” he said
Warren points to the expansion of the Hospitality Hub program, and said they are planning to open a further hub in the Raleigh area as front line programs the council has used to aid the homelessness crisis.