Executive Director of the Chattanooga Regional Homeless Coalition, Stephen Wright
photo by Emmett Gienapp
Homelessness continues to be a persistent and serious problem in Chattanooga with thousands of individuals and families living on the streets without proper protection from the elements or financial security. But at least one man is on a warpath to begin solving that problem.
Executive Director of the Chattanooga Regional Homeless Coalition, Stephen Wright, spoke to the Chattanooga Civitan Club on Friday about the current state of homelessness in the Scenic City, urging club members to help the matter in any way they could.
The coalition, which was founded nearly two decades ago and which now operates on a half a million dollar annual budget, identifies the service needs of the homeless community and seeks to work with organizations to address those needs, operating in 11 different counties.
But the work involved is immense since Mr. Wright said that there are an estimated 2,000 homeless people living just in Chattanooga. There are also 40 active campsites scattered throughout the city where the homeless congregate, a number that is up from 13 only a year ago.
Mr. Wright gave credit to current organizations in the city who are already doing commendable work to address the problem of homelessness, including the community kitchen which served 739 individuals last year. But he said that the whole community could be doing more, and that the homeless are simply typical citizens who happen to be homeless.
Mr. Wright said, “I’ve met electricians, plumbers, teachers; people just like us but who are homeless. It’s not just the city’s responsibility or the county’s, it’s all of ours.”
Specifically Mr. Wright and his organization would like to see the construction of a new emergency overnight shelter built somewhere in Chattanooga to better coordinate relief efforts. As of right now, there are several operational issues that stem from the lack of a centralized shelter.
Since it often takes several weeks to help an individual get back on his or her feet after homelessness, the scattered nature of the current situation leaves plenty of opportunity for individuals to lose contact with organizations trying to work with them. A man who is in East Ridge one day could easily be in Hixson the next and CRHC would have no way of knowing about the move or have any way to contact him.
Mr. Wright also said that addressing homelessness now can be a financially responsible and necessary investment for the community long term since those individuals who have been damaged the most by homelessness end up being a costly burden to the city and county.
He referenced a study done in Denver which examined the cost over time of the 300 homeless individuals who made the most hospital visits or spent the most time in jail, both of which are costly scenarios. At the end of the year, it was discovered that just these 300 people had cost the city of Denver over $11 million.
CRHC is set to start a similar study in Chattanooga in coming months, but will only be examining the 30 most at risk individuals in the city.
Mr. Wright concluded his speech by saying, “The homeless are the homeless. Some have real problems to deal with, but we’re all human beings.”