Short on rent? Before you resort to high-interest loans or other avenues for quick cash, check whether you qualify for any of these programs.
A variety of Memphis agencies offer one-time assistance payments after an unexpected financial hardship, like a big emergency expense or loss of income. Others offer longer-term support for people who meet certain criteria.
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Many Memphis organizations provide resources for those facing housing instability, but the specifics of each program can be difficult to navigate. We narrowed the options down to free programs that can provide rental assistance to help you stay in your current home.
While there’s also local help available for those experiencing homelessness, these programs are intended to serve renters before they lose their housing.
MIFA Rent and Mortgage Assistance
Who runs it: Metropolitan Inter-Faith Association
Who qualifies for assistance: You must be a Shelby County resident who can show proof of a recent emergency expense or loss of income to access this one-time payment. You must also show evidence of your overdue rent or mortgage payment. Assistance payments from MIFA generally average around $300-350. Households can qualify for assistance up to once a year, but priority is given to those who have never received it before.
Documentation required:
- Your driver’s license or state ID with your address
- Documentation of a crisis or loss of household income in the last 90 days
- Proof of income
- The first page of your lease or a statement from your mortgage company showing the past-due amount
How to apply: Complete an online intake form on MIFA’s website between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. any day except for holidays. A MIFA representative will contact you about next steps once you have submitted your application. Payments can be processed within a week. Keep in mind that MIFA can only help pay overdue rent or mortgage amounts— it cannot pay late fees or penalties.
Comprehensive Emergency Assistance Program
Who runs it: Shelby County Community Services Agency
Who qualifies for assistance: Renters and homeowners who are at risk of losing their homes due to an unexpected emergency expense or loss of employment may qualify for a one-time payment from this program. Your income must be below 125% of the federal poverty guidelines — that’s around $19,562 per year for a single adult and $40,188 for a family of four.
Documentation required:
- State issued ID
- Social Security cards for all household members
- Income information for household
- Proof of pending eviction or foreclosure
- Proof of crisis or out-of-pocket expense (job loss, funeral expenses, unexpected repair or replacement of a large appliance, medical expense, etc.)
How to apply: Applications for CEAP payments open once a month at 8:30 a.m. on the first Monday of the month online. Click the large blue box on this webpage at that time to schedule an appointment and request an application. Applications are processed on a first-come, first-served basis and can take up to 30 days to process. Renters will be informed of their acceptance or denial through postal mail.
Driving the Dream
Who runs it: United Way Mid-South, in partnership with 180+ other organizations
Who qualifies for assistance: Driving the Dream is a program that helps connect Memphis-area residents experiencing poverty to over 180 different service providers based on their unique needs. Rental assistance is one of the many services the program offers — either with funding from United Way itself or through referrals to other local agencies.
Clients with one need, including rental assistance, will usually be referred to a local nonprofit that can help meet it. Those with two or more needs, like rental assistance, food insecurity, unemployment or mental health concerns, will be referred to Driving the Dream’s care coordinators.
Documentation required: To make an initial request for services, you’ll only need to share your contact information and date of birth. If you are enrolled in Driving the Dream, care coordinators will usually ask for the following:
- Identification
- Proof of income
- Documentation of any children in the household
To access rental assistance, clients may also need to provide:
- Proof of financial hardship
- Proof of overdue rent or eviction notice
How to apply: Clients can make an initial request for assistance through Driving the Dream by filling out a simple form online, calling the program’s call center at (844) 444-4211 or visiting one of 14 kiosks around the city to apply. The kiosks can be found in the following locations, which are all in Memphis unless otherwise stated:
- Greenlaw Community Center at 190 Mill Ave.
- Hickory Hill Community Center at 3910 Ridgeway Road
- Ed Rice Community Center at 2935 N. Watkins St.
- Bickford Community Center at 235 Henry Ave.
- Orange Mound Community Center at 2590 Park Ave.
- Westwood Community Center at 810 Western Park Drive
- Bert Ferguson Community Center at 8505 Trinity Road in Cordova
- Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library at 3030 Poplar Ave.
- Raleigh Library at 3452 Austin Peay Highway
- East Shelby Library at 7200 E. Shelby Drive
- Lucius E. & Elsie C. Burch, Jr. Library at 501 Poplar View Parkway in Collierville
- Binghampton CDC at 280 Tillman St.
- Whitehaven Georgette & Cato Johnson YMCA at 4727 Elvis Presley Blvd.
- Shelby County Office of Re-entry at 1362 Mississippi Blvd.
Once enrolled, a care coordinator will assess your need for rental assistance and can walk you through the next steps to obtain it. With the proper documentation, payments can be processed in as little as seven business days.
Supportive Services for Veteran Families
Who runs it: Catholic Charities of Western Tennessee
Who qualifies for assistance: This eviction prevention program is specifically for veterans of any branch of the armed forces who have not received a dishonorable or bad conduct discharge. Veterans can apply alone or as the head of a household at risk of homelessness. Some clients can receive multiple months of rental assistance depending on their circumstances and the program’s funding. The maximum assistance available depends on the recipient’s income level and the grants available to Catholic Charities at any given time.
Documentation required:
- Proof of identity for all household members
- Proof of veteran status
- Proof of income
- Proof that the individual or family is at risk of homelessness, such as an eviction notice
- Proof of recent financial hardship, such as loss of income, unexpected expense or other circumstances
How to apply:
Applicants can either call Catholic Charities at 901-722-4760 or visit the outreach center at 85 N. Cleveland St. between 8 a.m. and noon on weekdays to make an appointment to fill out an application for assistance. When you make your appointment, coordinators will tell you what documents to bring with you.
Rental Assistance for tenants with HIV/AIDS
Who runs it: Friends for All – Memphis
Who qualifies for assistance: Tenants who are HIV-positive may qualify for assistance through Friends for All’s tenant-based rental assistance program. They will first need to become a client of Friends for All by submitting their information to its Early Intervention Services (EIS) department.
Documentation required:
- Proof of HIV/AIDS diagnosis
- Proof of residency within the last 60 days
- Proof of income
- Photo ID
- Proof of health insurance or lack thereof
How to apply: Email the documents listed above to earlyintervention@friendsforall.org or bring them in person to 1548 Poplar Ave. during the office’s open hours, 8:30 a.m. until 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Once you become a Friends for All client, additional documents may be required for the rental assistance program.
TN Strong Families
Who runs it: Catholic Charities of Western Tennessee
Who qualifies for assistance: Pregnant women may qualify for assistance through TN Strong Families, a state-level grant that funds programs at various nonprofit groups for new and expecting mothers. Catholic Charities can provide some rental assistance to pregnant women through this grant.
Documentation required:
- Proof of pregnancy from your doctor or a women’s health clinic
- IDs and Social Security cards for everyone in the household
- Proof of residency
- Proof of income
- Proof of any state DHS benefits
How to apply: First, prospective applicants must call to set up an intake appointment with Catholic Charities. Call 901-722-4836 if you are within Shelby County or 901-722-4798 if you are outside of Shelby County. The appointment can be in person or over the phone, but you’ll need to provide the documents listed above. If accepted for assistance, a case navigator will assess your need for various resources, including rental assistance.
Hope House emergency financial assistance
Who runs it: Hope House
Who qualifies for assistance: Adults over the age of 18 who are living with HIV/AIDS may qualify for Hope House’s social services, which can include housing assistance. Clients must be referred to the group’s Emergency Financial Assistance program by their medical case manager at another community organization. Memphis groups that serve clients with HIV/AIDS include Friends for All, the Shelby County Health Department and Christ Community Health Services.
Documentation required:
- A Ryan White card is required to access all of Hope House’s social services. This card indicates a client’s eligibility for care through the federally funded Ryan White Program, which provides free treatment for HIV/AIDS to low-income people who lack sufficient health insurance coverage.
- A referral from a medical case manager
- Proof of income and/or financial hardship
- A lease with their name listed as a tenant
How to apply: Hope House does not accept self-referrals for its housing assistance programs. To access its Emergency Financial Assistance for housing, you must have a medical case manager refer you for this assistance.
Did we leave out an assistance program that helps tenants pay their rent in Memphis? Let the author of this story know by emailing natalie.wallington@mlk50.com.
Natalie Wallington is the housing reporter for MLK50: Justice Through Journalism. Email her at natalie.wallington@mlk50.com.
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