On this week’s episode of WKNO/Channel 10’s “Behind the Headlines,” host Eric Barnes and Daily Memphian reporter Bill Dries interviewed Sandy Bromley, Director of the Shelby County Division of Community Services; Mary Hamlett, Vice President of Housing Stability Programs at MIFA; and Cherry Whitehead-Thompson, Deputy Director of the Shelby County Division of Community Services. They discussed the increasing issue of housing instability, the uncertainty surrounding federal funding, and the rising number of seniors and families experiencing homelessness in Shelby County.
Bromley opened the conversation by outlining the breadth of services provided by Shelby County Community Services, which she described as “the heart of Shelby County.” The division employs nearly 300 people across 10 departments, including the Aging Commission of the Mid-South, rental and utility assistance, veteran services, crime victims and rape crisis services, and multiple programs serving justice-involved adults and youth.
Housing was a central focus throughout the discussion. Hamlett explained that MIFA's housing stability programs assist individuals facing financial crises by offering rent and mortgage support. Additionally, certain services, such as shelter referrals, the city hotline, and rapid rehousing, are specifically designed to assist families with children who are experiencing homelessness.
“We try to prevent homelessness whenever possible,” Hamlett said. “We have rent and mortgage assistance for people who've experienced a crisis.”
Whitehead-Thompson stated that recent delays in federal funding have disrupted these efforts. Due to the government shutdown, some programs were unable to launch on schedule at the start of the fiscal year, creating uncertainty for both staff and clients.
“There has been a delay in our ability to serve our clients at our regular period,” she said, noting that utility assistance programs were postponed and rent and mortgage programs were still awaiting contracts.
Bromley described the current moment as “a perfect storm of crisis,” driven by rising costs, inflation, the end of pandemic-era relief funds, and shifting federal policies. She said roughly 80 percent of her division’s $22 million-plus budget is grant-funded, primarily through federal dollars.
“All these policy decisions, all of the funding issues, everything sort of colliding all at once,” Bromley said. “And we have just really a very heavy despair almost. And the despair really comes from uncertainty.”
Hamlett said those pressures are directly affecting how quickly families and individuals can be rehoused. Before the pandemic, Memphis was nationally recognized for rehousing families in an average of 14 days. Today, Hamlett says, that timeline has stretched to as long as 75 days due to higher rents, stricter income requirements, and fewer affordable units.
“We're also seeing that people in medium-income areas are now experiencing homelessness,” Hamlett said, as landlords sell properties and rents rise beyond what longtime tenants can afford.
The conversation also turned to seniors, who are increasingly at risk of losing stable housing.
“Seniors are actually the fastest growing population of folks facing and experiencing homelessness currently,” Hamlett said. She pointed to fixed incomes, rising property taxes, and increasing rents as key factors driving that trend.
Bromley said the Aging Commission of the Mid-South, which provides services such as Meals on Wheels, home health care, and assistance with SNAP and Medicare enrollment, has seen longer waiting lists as funding tightens and demand grows.
Whitehead-Thompson added that seniors are often forced into difficult choices as costs rise.
“They have to make decisions sometimes about medication versus food,” she said.
Throughout the discussion, the guests emphasized that many people seeking assistance are one financial emergency away from crisis. Hamlett said most clients live paycheck to paycheck, and a missed paycheck, car repair, or medical issue can quickly destabilize a household.
“Costs keep going up. Incomes don't,” she said. “You're always playing catch-up.”
Barnes also asked whether housing instability is confined to Memphis. Bromley said the need exists across all of Shelby County, including suburban and rural areas. A newer “Connector Program,” which places staff in each County Commission district, has revealed previously unseen demand in places like Millington, Arlington, and northern parts of the county.
As federal policy debates continue, Bromley said the consequences are already being felt on the ground.
“Whether the funding stays, increases, or leaves — the needs remain,” Hamlett said. “And it’s not a gap we can fill through philanthropy and donations.”