A woman standing on the sidewalk while viewing a house

About

Our Vision

To make Memphis a place where everyone has access to affordable and high-quality housing

our Mission

To dismantle systemic barriers, build community power, and to reform housing policy and practice

The Greater Memphis Housing Justice Project

Our community includes local residents, non-profits, and legal experts who support the cause of making Memphis a place where housing security is accessible to all

We Are

Renter Champions

We raise awareness on the issues, rights, and needs of renters to decision makers and governing bodies.

Systemic Changemakers

We work to dismantle the racist and discriminatory practices that have created Memphis’ housing crisis.

Community Builders

We empower residents to raise their voices and demand change.

Information Hub

We provide renters with the knowledge and resources they need to have the best possible housing outcomes

Policy Watchdogs

We raise awareness of the current state of housing to policymakers to start holding them accountable for a just housing system.

We are different because

We Are Renter-Centered

We put the needs and experiences of renters at the forefront of everything we do.

We Focus on Long-term Solutions

We don’t just fight evictions; we fight for a housing system that prevents them.

We Partner With The Community

We firmly believe that those most impacted by housing insecurity possess valuable insights for crafting effective solutions.

Our Purpose

The Root Issue

Memphis’s housing crisis is the result of generations of inequitable housing policies and practices, including inequitable enforcement of the law. These inequities exacerbate racial, economic, social and wealth disparity and have created a power imbalance that silences tenants’ voices in our legal and political systems.

In early 2021, BCCM and MPILC joined forces to move the needle towards housing justice. During conversations with local decision makers, they learned that local housing policy is being made based on assumptions and generalizations – with little or no data about the actual barriers facing renters. How could policy makers make policy without a full understanding of the issue?

GMHJP was created to support those experiencing housing insecurity and to partner with them to change Memphis housing policy. We believe that those impacted possess insight that is essential to finding effective solutions.

Our Approach

Filling the gap in community infrastructure, information, and advocacy on housing

Shape an Accurate Narrative

We inform our understanding of the obstacles to housing insecurity, our activities focus on renter-centered research, storytelling.

two women reviewing documents at a kitchen table

Build Community Power

We build renters’ individual and collective capacity to talk about their experiences, envision a path forward, and take action.

Disruptive Problematic Systems

We participate local and state campaigns, and partner with national advocacy networks to change policies and practices that bar housing security for Memphians.

Our Team

Shirley Bondon, Esq.

Co- Founder

Bondon is an accomplished and passionate Change Agent with a wealth of experience and proven talent for leveraging creative aptitude and business acumen to drive industry-leading performance.

Bondon Continued

Bondon applies skills acquired while working in government, nonprofit, and for-profit entities to advise organizations in advancing policies that promote social and economic justice.

Her significant experience is used to train others to develop public policy, increase public awareness of a concern, change public perception of an issue, and to shape and monitor legislation.

Bondon holds the Executive Director position for the Black Clergy Collaborative of Memphis or BCCM and ACCT or the African American Clergy Collective of Tennessee.

Visit BCCM

Jamie Johnson

Co- Founder

Johnson is a native Memphian and public interest lawyer with more than 15 yrs of legal experience, more than a decade of which involves working with low-income renters.

Johnson Continued

Johnson was a litigator for the first half of her legal career, during which she spent significant time in the courtroom. In the second half of her career, Johnson has focused on legal advocacy outside of the courtroom.

Johnson founded Memphis Public Interest Law Center or, MPILC while she was in private practice and began working full-time at MPILC as the Director of The Housing Project in 2020.

Visit MPILC