Emergency Services
Why We Do It
While 20% of Shelby County lives in poverty, 60% of the residents in MIFA’s neighborhood are impoverished. The challenges of the working poor often lead to sacrifices – for example, heads of household in our area are often left wondering whether to pay for utilities, rent, food for their children, or medicine for their elderly family members. In addition to the struggles families face, seniors living on fixed incomes also experience difficulties related to the rising costs of simple but essential items.
What We Do
Emergency Services assists eligible clients with rent, mortgage payments, utilities, food, and clothing. We are the only agency in Memphis that provides all of these services on an ongoing basis.
What We've Done
Last year, Emergency Services provided relief to over 37,000 individuals from over 27,000 families. We serve about 150 clients per day.
What Can You Do to Help?
To help a family in crisis, you can donate money, food, or clothing to MIFA. You can also volunteer to help with client screening in Emergency Services. To offer ongoing assistance,
sign up to donate monthly to
MLGW Plus-1.
Our partners
Support for Emergency Services comes from the City of Memphis, Plus-1 donors, the CASES fund, and the H.W. Durham Foundation. Emergency Services also partners with food pantries all over the city.