The Budgetel hotel in East Ridge was unexpectedly closed down on Wednesday, displacing approximately 700 residents, including over 170 children and seven hospice patients. Together, partners and providers from across the area came together to provide food, comfort, and encouragement, while working to find safe places for everyone to lay their heads. Chattanooga Regional Homeless Coalition started an Emergency Hotel Fund, and, with the help of community partners, raised almost $30,000. THDA provided an additional $50,000 in Emergency Solutions Grant funding to help with hoteling and rehousing the displaced residents.
To date, CRHC has spent nearly all of the Emergency Hotel Fund to provide emergency hotel assistance for 62 children and 92 adults. CRHC instantly deployed resources to offer 56 rooms to those impacted at other hotels throughout the county for two weeks while further planning occurs. Without support from the community and funding from THDA, 71 percent of the households with children would have been forced to sleep in their cars or other unsheltered locations, said officials.
"Through this crisis, we proved that we are stronger together, and we cannot be successful in our work without the collaboration of community organizations, agencies, churches, governmental bodies, and individuals," said Mike Smith, executive director of the Chattanooga Regional Homeless Coalition. Among these are:
Hamilton County School Department
Volunteer Behavioral Healthcare Centers
Help Right Here
Connecting Veterans to Resources
The City of Chattanooga’s Office of Homelessness and Supportive Housing
Silverdale Baptist Church
Abba’s House
H3
Union Gospel Mission
Homeless Healthcare Center
Burks United Methodist Church
Redbank United Methodist Church
Metropolitan Ministries
Chattanooga Area Food Bank
Red Cross
And the countless other individuals, organizations, and churches who have supported this effort.
“We are thankful to so many persons and organizations that assisted in the response to this crisis," said Mr. Smith. "We are also thankful to the concerned citizen who alerted us to the fact that this would happen Monday. Their tip allowed CRHC to piece together a response, in little time, that was able to meet the emergency needs of those who had no other resources at the end of the day.
"While CRHC worked to organize a response, we did not do so alone and could not have done so without the support of all the donors to the Emergency Hotel Fund and the boots on the ground offering love and support to the residents. The upcoming weeks will be trying times for all involved as the community works to find safe and stable housing for those impacted. We ask that concerned citizens, organizations, city and county government, and all others come together with us to see these persons housed. The best way to assist is by donating to the Flexible Housing Fund. CRHC is partnering with EPB and the #ConnectforGood drive to increase funds available in the Flexible Housing Fund.”
To the partners and community members who have come together during this time, Mr. Smith said, “Thank you all for the lives you have saved so far in your partnership with us in this response. You are amazing!”