Don’t worry, Joe Smith. “Jabbin for Jesus” still has a home.
To the city of Chattanooga, old Fire Station No. 7 on Central Avenue is surplus property, just another parcel on a list of 27 that it no longer needs.
But to the 60 to 70 inner-city children who pass through its doors each day, the building is at the heart of a program that gives them a fighting chance at a better life.
Smith runs a YMCA Community Action Program out of the old fire station, where he uses boxing as one way to keep kids busy, teach them something and get them off the streets.
The YMCA program is in the midst of a five-year lease on the property, with an option for five more years.