News and Music Discovery
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Gentry House Plans to Close Next Year, But Will Discuss Suggested Funding Options

A Murray non-profit that provides housing for homeless families with children plans to close January 31.

Gentry House board members met with Murray’s Human Rights Commission Monday to discuss funding options that could keep the housing non-profit open. Volunteer director and board member Melinda Johnson says the meeting was an opportunity to clarify the difficulties it’s facing.

“Our funding has dried up,” she says. “Grants that we could apply for those grants are no longer being funded. It’s trickling down. State funding is just not available to help us. The city and county have stepped up. They each have provide us $5,000 a year, but that just doesn’t cover all the cost associated with running four units, keeping up maintenance and keeping someone staffed in here part time.”

Johnson says the board will discuss the HRC’s suggestions to see if it could stay open until the city’s next budgeting process begins at its next meeting Thursday.

Whitney grew up listening to Car Talk to and from her family’s beach vacation each year, but it wasn’t until a friend introduced her to This American Life that radio really grabbed her attention. She is a recent graduate from Union University in Jackson, Tenn., where she studied journalism. When she’s not at WKMS, you can find her working on her backyard compost pile and garden, getting lost on her bicycle or crocheting one massive blanket.
Related Content