The Chattanooga Regional Homeless Coalition announces they now stand with other major Tennessee cities in receiving a large grant to support rapid re-housing and shelter for their local homeless community. Through advocacy at the state level by Executive Director Wendy Winters, the $2.5 million dollar award will go directly to local agencies that provide relief to the homeless in Chattanooga and the surrounding 10 rural counties.
The funding for this award comes from the Emergency Solutions Grants program. The program’s purpose is to "help people quickly regain stability in permanent housing after experiencing a housing crisis or homelessness." This special allocation of ESG funds falls under the Tennessee CARES Act, a $2.36 billion relief fund signed by Governor Bill Lee in response to the COVID-19 economic crisis. A federal directive has also put a moratorium on all rental evictions in 2020, but that is coming to an end on Dec. 31 and millions of Tennesseans could find themselves in a housing crisis.
Ms. Winters says a grant of this significance to support rapid re-housing could not come a moment too soon since calls to their helpline are up 150 percent since March. “This program allows for landlord incentives, such as double deposits and support services, to be used to recruit compassionate property owners to help us out in a tight housing market. Due to increasing rents and a housing shortage, our partner agencies have struggled with being able to find affordable housing for those in need, even when resources are in place to help, and so these landlord incentives will open new doors.”
The Chattanooga Regional Homeless Coalition applies for federal and state funding, like the ESG, to be distributed to local agencies that provide relief and advocacy for the homeless community. For these agencies to receive a portion of this ESG, applications are to be submitted through the state website: https://thda.org/government-nonprofit-partners/emergency-solution-grants-esg-program. The deadline is Jan. 15, 2021. The Homeless Coalition will ensure all are treated equitably who are experiencing homelessness through the application process.
The Chattanooga Regional Homeless Coalition serves as the coordinating agency of the Southeast Tennessee’s homeless response system. To learn more about how to support these efforts, visit homelesscoalition.org.