MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Memphis Mayor Paul Young and the city’s Division of Housing and Community development presented local organizations with close to $5.5 million in grant money to use for housing and community development Friday.
Nearly two out of three Memphians are in need of more affordable housing, often spending at least half their annual income to keep a roof over their heads, according to the U.S. Department for Housing and Urban Development, .
Quincey Morris of Klondike Smokey City CDC said they are still new when it comes to providing affordable housing to people in North Memphis but they will use some of their $15,000 to continue renovating houses they rent for between $750 and $850 a month.
“We renovate houses and we’re in the process of working with a minor home repair program,” Morris said.
But while Morris is grateful, she said that’s not the end of the problem.
“It’s very difficult because you have a lot of nonprofits applying for the same funds,” she said. “And you don’t have a lot of opportunities to get grants or be approved for grants.”
The more than 20 groups all need the funding to help the communities they serve. Like Hope House, which improves quality of life for people living with HIV and living in poverty. That includes housing assistance.
“Our families face a lot of discrimination in the community due to their HIV status but also people living in poverty face a lot of discrimination,” said Melissa Farrar, Hope House’s chief operating officer. “It can be very difficult to find a place to live, even when you’re with a program.”
Farrar says fair market rent for a one-bedroom apartment in Memphis is more than $1,100 a month and goes up to more than $1,700 for a three-bedroom.
“The cost of living certainly continues to go up and it’s rising faster than incomes,” said Mayor Young. “So certainly we want to see incomes across our community grow. We want to make sure that our community is trained to have the workforce talent and skills.”
While the problem has no easy answer, Morris believes it will take a united effort by Memphis’s nonprofits.
“If we would come together and work together, collaborate more, meaningful collaboration, I think we would move our city forward,” she said.
Hope House received the largest grant at more than $1.5 million. They say that will help provide homes for 82 families, which adds up to between 150 and 200 people.