Family Programs
MIFA’s family programs provide basic services to prevent homelessness, stabilize families, and encourage independence. We offer a spectrum of personalized interventions designed to address the vulnerabilities that could lead an individual or family to homelessness—interventions ranging from referrals to financial assistance to shelter placement or rapid rehousing.
MIFA Emergency Services provides utility, rent, and mortgage assistance for Shelby County households who have lost income or experienced a recent crisis.
Eligibility
In order to qualify for assistance, the applicant must be a resident of Shelby County who can document a recent crisis and has not received Emergency Services assistance in the past 24 months.
Impact
Of the 10,872 unduplicated households that requested Emergency Services assistance in FY22, 2,888 (representing 3,460 adults and 3,905 children) received utility, rent, or mortgage assistance.
Apply for Assistance
Click here to apply for utility, rent, or mortgage assistance through Emergency Services.
Contact us
Sharon Harden, Director of Emergency Services | (901) 529-4583 | sharden@mifa.org
Our 24-hour Hotline for Homeless Families helps connect families with minor children in Memphis and Shelby County to shelter and/or other resources. Call (901) 529-4545.
Eligibility
Shelby County residents with minor children can access the hotline 24 hours a day for MIFA Emergency Shelter Placement screening or referrals to other community resources.
Impact
In FY22, the Hotline for Homeless Families screened 8,804 calls from an estimated 6,562 callers representing 8,007 adults and 7,623 children.
APPLY FOR ASSISTANCE
Call the hotline at (901) 529-4545, or click here to submit an application for emergency shelter assistance online.
Contact us
Call the hotline at (901) 529-4545.
Reginal Fisher, Homeless Hotline Operations Lead | rfisher@mifa.org | (901) 529-4546
Rodney Lomax, Director of Emergency Housing | rlomax@mifa.org | (901) 529-4522
Emergency Shelter Placement helps homeless families secure temporary shelter if homelessness cannot be avoided through mediation.
Eligibility
Eligible families are literally homeless Shelby County residents, according to HUD's definition, which means they are living in a place not meant for human habitation, like outdoors or in a car.
Impact
In FY22, Emergency Shelter Placement screened 2,858 unduplicated families for service and referred 600—representing 663 adults and 1,576 children—to shelters and 562 to rapid rehousing.
APPLY FOR ASSISTANCE
Click here to submit an application for emergency shelter assistance online, or call the 24-hour Hotline for Homeless Families at (901) 529-4545.
Contact us
MaLika McGowan, Emergency Shelter-HMIS Operations Lead | mmcgowan@mifa.org | (901) 529-4584
Rodney Lomax, Director of Emergency Housing | rlomax@mifa.org | (901) 529-4522
Rapid Rehousing assists literally homeless families with children with short-term assistance to quickly obtain permanent stable housing.
Eligibility
Families must already be in emergency shelter to be eligible for this program.
Impact
In FY22, the Rapid Rehousing program connected 132 families representing 148 adults and 243 children with permanent, stable housing.
APPLY FOR ASSISTANCE
Click here to submit an application for emergency shelter assistance online, or call the 24-hour Hotline for Homeless Families at (901) 529-4545.
Contact
Miranda Young, Rapid Rehousing Operations Lead | myoung@mifa.org | (901) 529-4531
