Recently, Rhodes College received the 2026 Carnegie Elective Classification for Community Engagement by the American Council on Education and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The honor recognizes institutions with exceptional commitments to mutually beneficial community partnerships. One factor that contributed to this impressive recognition is the collaboration between Research for Action Lab (R4A) at Rhodes College, Dragonfly Studio, and the Memphis Public Interest Law Center working to analyze Memphis housing and socio-economic issues.
In late 2025, the partners released a report titled “Haunted Housing 2025: The Reality of Being a Renter in Memphis,” highlighting renter experiences and quantitative data on deteriorating living conditions and systemic housing challenges.
“This is the kind of meaningful, community-engaged work that sets Rhodes apart,” said Dr. Natalie Person, dean for community engagement at Rhodes and executive director of The Lynne and Henry Turley Memphis Center for Community Engagement.
The R4A Lab—developed by the Turley Memphis Center with support from the Department of Urban Studies—is an interdisciplinary research initiative the allows students and faculty to apply academic expertise to real-world local issues such as transportation, labor, and housing.
Rhodes graduate Ella Jarnigan ’25, who works at social impact development firm Dragonfly Studio, served as project manager and lead author of “Haunted Housing 2025.” Significant contributions to the project came from the R4A Lab, directed by Dr. Peter Hossler, associate professor of urban studies at Rhodes. Data collection and Interviews were administered by Rhodes students Coral Dawley, Izabella Blancaneaux, Ryan Thorn, Livi Cato, and Fayadh Chowdhury, along with Rhodes graduate Mischa White ’25. In addition, White, Cato, and Chowdhury contributed to participant recruitment, research design, and analysis. Student research activities were supported by the Turley Memphis Center and a Housing and Community Development (HCD) grant.
“Jamie Johnson at the Memphis Public Interest Law Center played a significant role in editing and shaping the final copy of the Haunted Housing 2025 report,” said Hossler.
The Memphis Public Interest Law Center is a non-profit law firm established in 2011, and The Housing Project is a major initiative designed by the firm to address Memphis’ housing crisis through education, research, and advocacy.
The “Haunted Housing 2025” report sought answers to three key questions: What are the conditions of rental housing in Memphis? When renters experience problems with their housing conditions, what steps do they take to address them? How do poor housing conditions—and the efforts to remedy them—impact Memphis renters?
The researchers interviewed renters during the summer of 2025 about their housing experiences. The top housing issues renters encountered were structural damage, heating and air conditioning failures, and plumbing problems. Mold followed closely behind. This study draws on qualitative and quantitative data collected through structured phone interviews with former MPILC clients who sought legal assistance between Jan. 6, 2021, and July 24, 2025. The report took into consideration actions taken by tenants to remedy poor housing conditions as well as the impact on renters of poor housing conditions.
The study concluded that poor housing conditions are a significant problem in Memphis and that renters for the most part are doing what the law requires them to do when these conditions arise—but repairs rarely follow. Renters reported that some landlords responded with threats of eviction and/or other retaliation after requesting repairs, and some reported that they become ill as a result of poor living conditions.
The Memphis Public Interest Law Center has published “Haunted Housing 2025” online and shared it with supporters, government agencies, and other nonprofits. The full report is available with findings.