Memphis, Tenn. (June 15, 2020) –The Tennessee Housing Development Agency has awarded a $50,000COVID-19 Supplemental Funding to Continuums of Care Grant to theCommunity Alliance for the Homeless to assist with housing vulnerableShelby County citizens.
The Community Alliance plans to use thegrant to specifically address providing meals, shelter and othercommunity resources for homeless families in the area.
“It’s essential that everyone comes together to help one anotherduring these times and make lifea bit easier for each other,” said THDA Executive Director RalphPerrey. “THDA is happily
committed to providing assistance that hopefully will freeTennessean’s minds from one lessproblem.”
Chere Bradshaw, Executive Director forthe Community Alliance for the Homeless, said her organizationsupports shelter to help individuals who cannot properly sociallydistance.
Thus far, the grant has helped theCommunity Alliance provide shelter for 80 individuals, averaging 12 aweek, Bradshaw said.
“It’s impossible to follow ourcommunity’s Safer at Home order if you have no home. If we didn’thave THDA’s assistance, we wouldn’t be able to continue helpingthese families,” Bradshaw said. “It’s simple; children andfamilies should not be left on the street, which is a priority inMemphis, especially during this time. The grant will help continue tokeep the program going for at least the next three months.”
Community Alliance for the Homelessleads effective community practices to end homelessness in Memphisand Shelby County by providing planning, technical assistance, andservice coordination to public and private agencies in the area whoare working towards the same initiative.
The Alliance is responsible forsubmitting the collaborative application for nearly $7 millionannually in Continuum of Care funding for agencies in Memphis andShelby County. It is responsible for providing oversight andcoordinating services between these agencies.
“It’s the role of CommunityAlliance to coordinate the various services provided by the homelessservice providers,” Bradshaw said. “Not all organizations do thesame thing. You must have someone to help bring the pieces togetherto ensure no one falls through the cracks.”
THDA’sCovid-19 Supplemental CoC Grant is awarded to nonprofits, publichousing authorities and local governments to support a CoC-wideresponse to reduce the risk of transmission of the coronavirus withinthe homeless community.
