Apply for Assistance Online
Please review the eligibility guidelines for our programs and learn how to apply for assistance below.
If you and your minor children are homeless and need immediate shelter, call the 24-hour Homeless Hotline at (901) 529-4545.
Home-delivered meal recipients are Shelby County seniors (age 60 and over) who are nutritionally at-risk and frail, homebound, or disabled. Congregate meal recipients are Shelby County residents over age 60 or under 60 and disabled.
To be screened for eligibility for Meals on Wheels, call the Aging Commission of the Mid-South at (901) 222-4111. To apply for congregate meals, complete an application in person at the site nearest you. Congregate sites are listed here.
- Arlington, Bartlett, Collierville, Germantown, Lakeland, Millington, and unincorporated Shelby County residents: Assistance with mortgage or utility payments is available through the Shelby County Division of Community Services and the Shelby County Division of Planning and Development. Click here to learn more and apply.
MIFA Emergency Services provides utility, rent, and mortgage assistance for Shelby County households who have lost income or experienced a recent crisis. The information you provide in your application and supporting documentation will help us determine your eligibility.
If you have questions, contact the Emergency Services Help Desk at (901) 529-4538 or emergencyserviceshelpdesk@mifa.org. Para asistencia en espanol por favor comuniquese con Latino Memphis.
Program requirements:
- You must be a resident of Shelby County
- You must be able to document a recent (within the past 90 days) crisis that has affected your ability to pay your bills
- You must not have received Emergency Services assistance in the past 12 months
Applicants should be prepared to upload the following information to the online application form. We cannot process an application without the required documents.
- Your driver's license or state ID
- Documentation of a crisis or loss in the past 90 days (examples include loss of household income, medical crisis, layoff, etc.)
- Proof of income
- For utility assistance, your MLGW cutoff notice
- For rent or mortgage assistance, your lease or mortgage statement indicating past due balance
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You may be asked by your case worker to submit additional documentation to support your application
Please be aware that average assistance is $350.
Click here to apply for utility, rent, or mortgage assistance
Once your application has been submitted, a MIFA representative will contact you as soon as possible.
Shelby County families with minor children who are homeless may be eligible for placement if shelter is available. Not everyone seeking emergency shelter placement will be referred to a shelter. The information you provide in your application will help us determine the most appropriate way to assist you.
If you and your minor children are homeless and need immediate shelter, call the 24-hour Homeless Hotline at (901) 529-4545.
Program requirements:
- You must be literally homeless, according to HUD’s definition, which means you and your family are living in a place not meant for human habitation, like outdoors or in a car.
- You must have custody of a minor child who also lives in your home.
- You must live in Shelby County.
- You must consent to mediation. You will be required to provide three family/friend contacts for the purpose of mediation by the staff to avoid shelter placement if possible. If mediation is not successful, you will need to verify your homelessness another way before you can be referred to shelter.
The following documents will be required to complete the screening process:
- Picture ID for all adults, including children age 18 and over
- Social Security cards for everyone in the household
- Verification that the children are in the custody of the applicant (for example, being on the applicant’s SNAP case
We have reached our maximum shelter referrals for the day.
Please click here to complete a referral form, and a staff member will contact you.
