posted January 19, 2007
Mayor Ron Littlefield said Thursday he is taking the debate about a Homeless Campus to Talk Radio.
He said those opposing his plan for the campus at the former Farmers Market will have an hour to give their views and proposals on the afternoon "Live and Local" show on WGOW 102.3 FM.
The mayor said he and his group will then outline their plan.
He said at a press conference, "Now that the charretting process with service providers is complete, our team of homeless advocates will begin formulating a plan for the Chattanooga Community Resource Center (CCRC) and talking about that plan in public forums.
“We would like to invite the opposition to the CCRC to engage in a forum slated to take place within two weeks. We have always said this subject is not up for debate; therefore we will not have a debate format. Instead we will allow the opposition one hour of time to use any way it sees fit, and the CCRC team will follow with one hour.”
The Public Forum About Homelessness in Chattanooga will be Feb. 5 from 1-4 p.m. on the show that has Robert T. Nash and Mary Ann Williams moderators.
Al Chapman, director of faith-based initiatives and community partnerships, said, “We wanted to ensure that anyone interested in this topic could listen to the information being presented. That’s why we are using a mass medium like Talk Radio. You don’t even have to get out of your chair or pay a fee to feel like you are informed."
Mayor Littlefield said the new committee set up by City Council Chairman Leamon Pierce is welcome.
Barbara Readnower, project coordinator said, “We welcome a committee like this one. We wish more people would be interested in forming committees to find solutions to the homeless issue in Chattanooga. Mr. (Councilman Leamon) Pierce’s committee may come across something we haven’t considered. We anxiously await their findings.”
Mayor Littlefield said the city has $600,000 on hand in federal HOME grant funds for construction for housing for the homeless.
He said he is awaiting plans by architects on the housing.
The mayor said, "There should be a lot of action this summer. There will be less talk and more action."
He said the Rescue Mission near UTC is interested in moving to the Farmers Market and the Union Gospel Mission at Main and Market is looking into it.
Mayor Littlefield said about 30 cities across the country have set up such homeless campuses.
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