foundation four:
Housing Affordability & Stability
foundation four:
Affordable living without forcing families to choose between rent, food, and necessities.
Shelby County faces rising rents, aging housing, and too many families one emergency away from displacement. This is a public health issue, a workforce issue, and a public safety issue. Stable housing reduces future public costs, lowers contact with the justice system, improves health outcomes, and increases economic participation. It is one of the smartest long-term investments a county can make.
Commitment:
Every Shelby County family deserves a stable place to call home. We will expand affordable housing, prevent displacement, and connect housing to jobs, health, and transportation so families can stay rooted and move forward.
Priorities:
Happy Homes Cohort
500 Homes Challenge
Happy Homes Cohort: a stability-first cross-agency housing initiative that places people in homes and surrounds them with tools to grow there. The initiative will serve an identified number of families annually with:
Housing Stability Units: Tiny homes and rehabbed properties through partnerships with Habitat for Humanity, BLDG Memphis, Memphis Housing Authority, MLGW home weatherization
Workforce Readiness Training: Cohort participants required to complete GED/skills training, job placement support, interview prep
Guaranteed Job Path: County and employer partners commit interview slots and priority hiring for cohort graduates
Transportation Access: Transit passes and ride-to-interview funding
Stipend Bridge: Monthly support for a defined timeframe to stabilize families as they transition to new or increased income
500 Homes Challenge: To expand “missing middle” housing, we will partner with municipalities to launch a public-private push to create or preserve 500 affordable units in one year.
What counts
• Renovated units
• Vacant homes returned to occupancy
• Accessory dwelling units (ADUs)
• Converted motels
• Church-owned land adapted for housing
• Employer-assisted housing pilots
• Rent-to-own or credit-building housing tracks
Potential Funding Sources: Federal HUD dollars (HOME, CDBG) to build/rehab units and provide down payment assistance; PILOT recapture used to stipends and workforce wraparound support; Philanthropic match to support cohort expansion and tiny home pilots; Private sector and Habitat for Humanity partnerships for construction materials and labor cost reduction