The board of directors for the Chattanooga Regional Homeless Coalition has fired Executive Director Mike Smith, according to a statement from Chair Alfreda Hyatte.
Effective Wednesday, Deputy Director Mackenzie Kelly assumed the role of interim executive director. The board said it will conduct “a thorough operational review of the organization” during the transition period, and it will start a national search for a new full-time executive director.
“Every day, the outstanding staff, volunteers and partners of the Chattanooga Regional Homeless Coalition are focused on meeting the urgent needs of our region’s unsheltered homeless population while we work to address the complex underlying causes of housing insecurity,” Hyatte said in the statement. “We are proud of our successes over the last several years, but we know that we have much more work to do. We remain grateful for the sustained support of the many partners who share our mission of making homelessness rare, brief and nonrecurring.”
(READ MORE: Chattanooga prepares to wind down sanctioned homeless camp)
The statement did not provide specific information about why the board decided to end its professional relationship with Smith. In texts Wednesday, Smith said he was out of town but planned to seek legal counsel.
Smith has served as executive director of the homeless coalition since August 2022. During that time, the agency was involved in responding to the sudden closure of the Budgetel Inn in East Ridge, which displaced hundreds of people after it was shut down Nov. 16. District Attorney Coty Wamp asked a judge to temporarily close the facility, citing high levels of crime there. That included drug use, overdoses, assaults and disorderly conduct.
(READ MORE: After numbers jumped during pandemic, Hamilton County homeless population drops 31%)
The coalition also helped coordinate the annual homeless count in January and a three-day conference in June on homelessness at the Chattanooga Convention Center. In April, Smith joined city officials in celebrating a 31% reduction in the county’s homeless population following a spike during the pandemic.
The Chattanooga Regional Homeless Coalition is the lead agency in the local continuum of care and applies for federal funding on behalf of the region.
In a statement, Mayor Tim Kelly’s spokesperson, Kevin Roig, said the board of directors has a duty to do what’s best for the organization and its mission.
“We support their decision to exercise that responsibility,” Roig said. “We are confident in Mackenzie to step in and serve as interim executive director while the board performs its operational review and launches a national search for its next permanent leader.
“(The homeless coalition) is a critical partner in the work happening across Chattanooga and the region to address homelessness and pivotal to the continued success of our housing-first strategy, which has helped place almost 3,000 people experiencing homelessness into permanent housing since Mayor Kelly took office,” he continued. “We look forward to continuing that effective partnership as we head into this new chapter, ensuring together that this work continues to be carried out in a committed, engaged way and remains focused on what is best for our most vulnerable residents.”
Contact David Floyd at dfloyd@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6249.