| Name | Erin |
|---|---|
| Last Name | Creal |
| Home Address | 3824 Tacoma Avenue Chattanooga, TN Tennessee 37415 United States |
| Organization Name | Chattanooga Room in the Inn |
| Describe Your Role In The Organization | Executive Director |
| Organization Address | 230 N. Highland Park Ave. Chattanooga, TN Tennessee 37404 United States |
| Website | https://www.chattanoogaroomintheinn.com |
| Best Phone Number To Reach You | 4236246144 |
| Alternate Phone Number | 4233229896 |
| Email Address | ecreal@chattanoogaroomintheinn.com |
| Alternate Email Address | ecreal@chattanoogaroomintheinn.com |
| Please Describe Your Project In Detail | Imagine yourself poor, unemployed without a high school diploma, with two kids and couch surfing. Imagine being at the mercy and whim of the owner of the couch and not knowing if you will have a place to sleep tonight. Is getting a job or your children’s homework your biggest priority? Or is surviving your job? Chattanooga Room in the Inn (CRITI) is a residential service that provides shelter and transitional services to women and children experiencing homelessness. The program allows women and families to stabilize, become employed, increase their education, conserve their resources and move into permanent housing with supportive services. The challenge staff and participants encounter is the congregate setting. Families have private rooms but the remaining rooms are all common areas. CRITI is dedicated to being Trauma Informed however the group living environment can trigger the past trauma of our participants. Furthermore, because of the triggers that occur, it is difficult for a household to stay in this environment long term in order to start from ground zero and build a foundation for success in the future. Education is key to ending poverty but it doesn’t happen overnight. CRITI is committed to improving the education of the lives we touch however, the congregate setting is a huge challenge to completing it. The congregate setting also makes it nearly impossible to contain any type of virus or communicable conditions. CRITI's mission is to empower women and children experiencing homelessness to become self-sufficient by offering a temporary home while providing programs and services necessary to meet their goals. In order to be more mission focused, CRITI's program needs to include permanent housing in a private apartment for a season that will allow a woman the time it takes to learn a skill that will earn them a living wage. Supportive wrap-around services will be provided on site by staff or by a collaborative partner. 24/7 childcare with early childhood education programming provided on-site would be added to our current scope of services that includes; trauma assessment and therapy; case management; life skills; rapid re-housing with financial assistance; children’s enrichment programming/tutoring; and anything else that the participant needs specifically. Meanwhile, CRITI is including a business enterprise that can employ participants for workforce development and financial resourcefulness. Additionally, we will partner with other organizations/programs that assist with home ownership goals of the participant so that, upon graduation, the participants can begin building wealth. CRITI’s expansion plans specifically include building the following: project-based rental housing for participants; building a facility to provide space for early learning and 24/7 daycare (services to be provided by Chambliss Center for Children); multi-purpose space that can accommodate indoor recreation, programming, counseling/therapy, business enterprise, etc.; and greenspace for outdoor recreation. CRITI requests $2M from the City of Chattanooga’s ARA funding to provide funding for the construction of permanent housing and a child development center. The goal is to provide or procure everything necessary to take a household from poverty to self-sufficiency so that they no longer need welfare, food stamps, housing subsidies or other forms of public assistance. With our Children’s Enrichment Program and pre-school education, the main goal is to intervene and stop the cycle of poverty. Since 2006, 86% of CRITI’s program graduates remain permanently housed without re-experiencing homelessness. By preventing one person from becoming chronically homeless, we are saving the community approximately $40K per year. |
| Please explain how your project meets the requirements of the American Rescue Plan | CRITI’s existing facility, while providing a safe space for those in homeless status, is fraught with challenges to contain viruses and communicable conditions. We have had to put all of our participants in a motel recently in order to separate COVID positive staff and participants to stop the spread. Not only that, the population we serve has a higher probability of negative outcomes as a result of the pandemic. When children are quarantined/isolated or have their school close, our moms aren’t able to work from home and have little to no benefits to ease the burden of taking time off. If they are able to work, it is often at low wage jobs that can increase their vulnerability health and safety wise. People in the low to very low income ranges lack the resources that others have in order to navigate these challenges. Our project plans to intervene with households that face these challenges, provide them with valuable services and resources, teach them how not to be homeless in the future and foster a household that contributes in a meaningful way to our community. |
| Where would your project take place? | CRITI is located in the Orchard Knob neighborhood and is housed in the former Hamilton County Juvenile Court. Hamilton County deeded this lot to CRITI but retained control over the two adjacent lots which housed the Humane Educational Society and Hamilton County Community Services. Both structures are now vacant and CRITI has been in talks with the county about acquiring the land for our expansion once they have demolished the structures. The Hamilton County Mayor and Real Property department have expressed enthusiasm for this project. It would make the most sense to have our expansion plans develop closer to us. Meanwhile, CRITI has been exploring finding alternative property that is suitable for our plans if the County plan doesn’t happen. No matter where that is, it will be on the bus line. We are looking to acquire approximately four acres for our purposes. Finally, as CRITI has been gifted by the community, we want to be a gift to the community. Whichever neighborhood we land, we want to be a blessing to the neighborhood by providing space for community partners to serve. |
| How much will your project cost in total? | 6750000 |
| Do you have any matching funding sources from other local governments, private entities, non-profits, or philanthropic entities for your project? | Yes |
| Please describe the source and list amounts of any other funding. | Private - $50,000 (confirmed) Grants - $3.2M - Approximately 80% of housing cost can be covered by a mix of grants for permanent housing. These grants can't be applied for until we have site control. |
| What portion of the project are you asking the city to fund? | 30% |
| If funded, when would your project start? | January 15, 2023 |
| How long would your project take to complete? | The first phase of construction would take approximately nine months to one year to complete. However, the program that the construction will support will be ongoing and can take up to three years for the first graduating class. |
| What milestones would you use to measure your project’s progress? | 8/2022 - Acquisition of property. 9/2022 – Site preparation for new construction begins. 1/2023 – New construction begins. 11/2023 – Construction is complete. Letter of occupancy received. Leases on project-based units begin. 2/2024 – Units occupied. Demand and occupancy will determine Phase 2 of additional housing. 6/2026 – First graduating class commencement. |
| How would you ensure accountability and transparency throughout the project lifecycle? | The expansion committee for CRITI is already planning for the following: - Capital campaign (if ARA request is denied) - Working with the appropriate neighborhood representatives - Seeking bids/quotes on all services and work and vetting the providers - Reporting progress of project on a quarterly basis to the stakeholders. Are we meeting the expansion plan milestones? If not, how do we adjust? - For the project’s program of getting households to self-sufficiency, staff provides a monthly report to the board, quarterly reports to funders and annual reports to all stakeholders. - This project is intended to continue as long as there is poverty and homelessness in our community. |
| If successful, how would your project benefit the community? | As mentioned before, it is costly for taxpayers to serve a chronically homeless individual. Imagine what it will save a community by ending dependence on public assistance by a household. Imagine the success of youth in schools because they were ready to learn on the first day of kindergarten. Imagine a single mom graduating from college and earning a living wage. While those are long-range impacts, this project will also beautify the neighborhood and provide recreation space for those with limited access. The business enterprise can employ neighbors and community partners can provide wellness activities. |
| How will you attract community buy-in for your project? | Most of our stakeholders are aware of the limitations on our existing program and facility. Those who have been in our facility are supportive of our expansion plans. Community volunteers serve on our Expansion Committee and Capital Planning Committee. The Orchard Knob Neighborhood Association is very supportive of our mission. If a Capital Campaign occurs, staff and volunteers will first seek out the thoughts, advice and support of donors. A program such as ours can be a game changer for the ‘second Chattanooga.’ |
| Name | Erin Creal |
| Contact Information | 423.624.6144x7 |
| Name | Craig Kellogg |
| Contact Information | 423.883.1065 |
| Is there anything else you would like us to know about your project? | This project attempts to reverse poverty by providing the necessary structure and support to move a household to self-sufficiency. By earning a living wage, a household could pay their own bills. By having the skill to earn a living wage, a person has the opportunity to find and change jobs if needed. This project can help the administration meet their top three goals. CRITI will be seeking grants and low interest loans to complete all of the project so the ARA funding could be used as a match as well. There are funding sources to cover approximately 80% of the cost of the permanent housing piece. We anticipate similar grants for the child development center. |