Community is the heartbeat of our work
REBUILD RESTORE RENEW
Our mission is to move vulnerable communities into housing secureness, food stability, health equity, financial empowerment and regenerative solutions.
The Works, Inc. rebuilds, restores, and renews Memphis neighborhoods through innovation, advocacy, and collaboration. We are a nonprofit community development corporation serving the Memphis community.
Our goals include: Increasing the availability of affordable housing, delivering programs and services related to affordable housing and neighborhood revitalization, and providing the social services, advocacy, and support requisite for families’ holistic, healthful, and socioeconomic success.
From providing food security programs to community engagement and affordable housing programs, The Works is passionate about building a stronger, safer, and more equitable Memphis.
The Works, Inc merged with Neighborhood Preservation, Inc., expanding its services to include policy advocacy, the Strategic Code Enforcement Management Academy, the Blight Elimination Steering Team, promoting collaborative efforts to develop practical and sustainable resolutions to blighted properties and to the systems that lead to widespread neglect, vacancy, and abandonment of real estate.
Since 1998 The Works has invested more than $50,000,000 in the Memphis community.
Understanding the interconnectedness of a community’s needs, The Works has a broad swath
of experience.
HOUSING
Focuses on the development of single-family and multi-family housing capital. Aiming to ensure all dwellings and habitations are equitable, affordable, and accessible.
REGENERATIVE INITIATIVES
Regenerative initiatives are a variety of approaches that aim to have a positive impact on the planet and future
generations in areas of crops, agriculture waste, climate, forestry and green spaces.
COMMUNITY
Community engagement is the heartbeat of our work driven by sustainable and measurable outcomes in housing, employment, food, education, health, and wellness and restorative practices.
FOOD
The food space was derived to address food access and food insecurity in underserved communities. Purposed to equip families with fresh food, education and new skills for practical applications at home.
ADVOCACY
We focus on policy advocacy to fix the systems that allow people to abandon real estate without being held accountable.
HOUSING AND DEVELOPMENT
Project Development is the visionary collective effort to acquire, rehabilitate, and reapportion.
2025 South Memphis Farmers Market Season is here
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FROM OUR PRESIDENT & CEO
Serve and Steward the vision of our neighbors
In thirty-year history of The Works, Inc our team has been privileged to serve, steward the vision of our neighbors and manage some of the most innovative and impactful community development projects in Memphis.
Our dedication and hard work have enabled us to grow one of the largest community development corporations in the Southeastern United States. In the current context of an affordable housing crisis; aging infrastructure and growing challenges around climate and public health there is a clear need for our expertise and our integrative practice weaving community development, land use policy, environment, food access and health.
-ROSHUN AUSTIN
2,480
Families Served from Our Mobile Grocer
5,000
Pounds of Produce Harvested from our Farm
353
Tenants sustained housing with no rent increase
62
New housing developments completed
REBUILD
RESTORE
RENEW
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