“Robert (Lipscomb) would make an outstanding mayor,” said Bancorp Vice President Alan Shinoski recently, after first admitting that he might get in trouble for weighing in.

Many in the audience nodded agreement while others smiled. It’s all part of the latest summertime pastime: speculating on who might win the job of Memphis mayor now that Mayor Willie W. Herenton is running for the District 9 seat in Congress.

Lipscomb isn’t talking about his future – at least not in public, and certainly not on this day. He shook his head slowly from side to side and looked down as if to say: “Here we go again.” When he rose later to introduce the keynote speaker, he remained focused on the day’s primary mission: celebrating neighborhood development and encouraging more Memphians to give back.

One of the most influential and most respected leaders in the city, Robert Lipscomb is executive director of Memphis Housing Authority, director of Memphis Division of Housing and Community Development and chief financial officer for the city. In addition, he is board chairman of his alma mater, The LeMoyne-Owen College.

When people ask if he’s doing too much, Lipscomb responds by wondering why nobody asks Fred Smith that question. Founder of FedEx, Smith is also chairman, president, and CEO of the global delivery company.

“Giving back is really important to me. I work for you. Those who are in a position to give must give more. You have to give more,” Lipscomp told those gathered for a breakfast celebration of National Homeownership Month on June 18, Community Housing Development Organization (CHDO) Day. The breakfast was held at Matthew R. Davis Resource Center at 1036 Firestone in New Chicago.

“It’s about partnerships,” he added. “I’m tired of people not wanting to give back and being negative. And I’m tired of black and white. I’m tired of ‘them’ and ‘us,’ ‘he and she.’ It’s us.”

As the pundits speculate on politics, Lipscomb is focused on supporting change agents in local neighborhoods. The event recognized the work of 17 organizations in the city certified by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to build affordable housing.

“We helped 12,000 people become homeowners,” he said. “If you have a house, you have equity and, with equity, you can borrow money to do other things.”

In his introduction of keynote speaker John Gemmill, the new director of the HUD Field Office in Memphis, Lipscomb called him a good guy and asked that the city make him a favorite son.

In addition to Gemmill and Shinoski, who serves on the CHDO Committee that reviews grant applications to build affordable housing, other program speakers included New Chicago CDC Executive Director Eddie Hayes, Memphis City Council Chairman Myron Lowery, Councilwoman Barbara Swearengen Ware, North Memphis CDC Executive Director Cornelius Sanders and HCD Deputy Director Beverly Goines.

CHDOs are community development corporations (CDCs) that have been certified by HUD to receive grant funds to build affordable housing under the federal HOME Program.  

HOME is the largest federal block grant to state and local governments and it is used to create affordable housing for low-income households. Some $2 billion is allocated annually for distribution to states and localities, such as Memphis.  

Under Lipscomb’s stewardship, the city has pulled from a variety of resources to help revitalize key areas of the city, renovate and demolish aging public housing developments. Rising in their place are beautiful new developments such as Uptown, College Park, University Place and, coming soon, Legends Park.  

Single-family houses built using HOME funds are available for purchase and rental. In addition, there are special down payment programs based on income as well as for policemen and teachers.