In the past, I have written Op-Eds here stating that Chattanooga is a lively city that has much to offer. Possibly, the one area that we are having difficulty in dealing with is the homeless. We are in the same position as most cities our size that are located near a major interstate highway.

In the past century, many cities experienced the flow of travelers, many of whom that were laid off from their jobs, or individuals with poor lifestyles, or people relocating on a whim or hope for a better life in another part of the country.

Today, there are many more individuals moving around the United States seeking work and refuge as a result of difficult economic times. Our community, lead by Mayor Littlefield, now desires to address a problem that has existed for a long period of time. What do we know about other cities, other than Houston, and their ability to address the homeless problem?

There has been a great amount of rhetoric and ideas thrown around this community as to how we should deal with our homeless. Putting together a homeless community may seem like the best plan, but it may be better if we have it available as a temporary place for housing pending social service groups working with families and individuals to get back on their feet and find housing outside of the “homeless community.”

For families, this resource should not be available beyond a 90-day period. This is consistent with programs in cities, such as, Oklahoma City, where there is a social service program that provides a 90-day service to families that relocate to the area. When there is a finding of a life style that needs to be addressed, social service employees attempt to work with these individuals.

The focus is placed on those individuals who desire a change in their life, not those who desire to milk a system already strained. In Oklahoma City, there exists I-35 and I-40. This cross of the roads in the Interstate System has been the crossroads for every level of criminal, traveler, a family relocating, as well as other categories of groups traveling through Oklahoma City (to make it simple here).

I completed a Social Work Internship, and then subsequent employment as a Case Manager/Crisis Intervention Counselor with Travelers’ Aid Society, which is a United Way funded agency, in Oklahoma City for approximately 18 months. This experience dealing with multiple agencies and local law enforcement agencies during this period of time showed me how a community can work together to make a social service plan work.

In the course of one month, I had a case load between 90-110 contacts with an additional 30 to 35 ongoing cases during a 90-day period. Depending on the service needed, various social service agencies and churches were involved during an initial 30-day period.

In mid-1983, I relocated with my family and I no longer know what social service plan is used in Oklahoma City. However, I believe that Oklahoma City is worth looking at in the near future. After all, there may be some important information for those individuals involved in the social service business in Chattanooga, as well as for the planners of future social service programs.

There is a wise approach toward this social service dilemma, and the mayor should be applauded for his effort to look beyond our resources in an attempt to address the homeless problem in Chattanooga. The mayor’s staff members are obviously looking into this situation. This is merely my humble suggestion.

(Dr. Drennon-Gala addresses numerous issues in education, delinquency, crime, corrections, and organizational assessment. He is an author, lecturer, freelance writer, former associate professor, and has more than 19 years as a federal law enforcement officer with the U.S. Department of Justice. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Rochester. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent the views of the U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Prisons, or the United States.)