As an arctic blast buffeted the region with freezing conditions Friday night, 63-year-old Billy Hughley, who is without a home, opted to sleep in his tent.
On wintry nights, Hughley usually makes a small fire and sits beside the flames until he's ready for bed. Once he's back in his tent and tucked into his sleeping bag, Hughley said he's typically nice and warm, but after spending the evening outside Friday, Hughley decided it would be best to spend the next few days at the Chatt Foundation's winter shelter. It was just too cold.
"I needed to lay down and be comfortable," Hughley told the Chattanooga Times Free Press. "Sometimes the wind blows so hard you think it's going to blow your tent away."
With a beanie fitted snugly over his head and a scarf wrapped securely around his mouth and nose, Hughley was one of dozens of people crowded into the organization's building on East 11th Street on Tuesday afternoon. The Chatt Foundation's winter shelter has the capacity for about 150 people, and with temperatures dipping into the single digits late last week, saw about 75 guests Monday night. The number of visitors has gradually increased since the cold snap.
When the weather forecast shows the temperature dropping below 35 degrees for a span of four hours overnight, the Chatt Foundation transforms its dining room and community center into a shelter, clearing out furniture and laying out sleeping pads. Organizers set up barriers to separate men, women and families, and the facility has supervisors present to keep everyone safe. Staff members begin waking people up at 6 a.m. so the organization can start serving breakfast at 6:30 a.m.
"The conditions are spartan," Chatt Foundation CEO Baron King said in a phone interview Tuesday. "We don't have beds or cots, but it's definitely better than spending the night outdoors unsheltered in freezing conditions."
Although the Chatt Foundation does allow residents to bring some belongings with them, King said people can risk losing their tents or other possessions, which they often have to leave behind to stay overnight at a shelter.
"There's a lot of theft in the homeless community," King said. "People without things are desperate to take things that are not theirs, and so the decision often comes down to, 'Am I willing to risk losing the very little that I have to stay in a safe, warm shelter?' That creates a very unfortunate decision for a lot of people."
King said that's one of the reasons the organization has advocated for the creation of a 24-hour low-barrier shelter, a facility the city of Chattanooga has announced plans to establish. City leaders have set aside approximately $3 million in federal COVID-19 relief money for the project and are seeking a location. King said he hopes to see some movement on that project in the first quarter of the new year.
There are a couple of small shelters at churches in the area, King said, but those are considered high-barrier: If someone doesn't meet the background check requirements or doesn't participate in activities like worship services, they can't stay.
A low-barrier shelter wouldn't have those stipulations, he said, and would permit anyone to stay regardless of their background. Guests would also have a space to store their belongings, giving them peace of mind if they have to leave to work a shift.
The Chatt Foundation has a text alert system that provides notices about when its cold weather shelter is open. Those interested in receiving updates can text "COLD" to 833-417-3071. The organization also flies a blue flag at its front entrance to signal that the shelter will be open that evening.
If the Chatt Foundation's winter shelter reaches capacity, King said, the Salvation Army will open its doors for overflow.
Aside from overnight stays, the Chatt Foundation also provides free clothing and hands out donated blankets, sleeping bags and tents. The organization also operates mail, laundry and a foot care center. It's also involved in training, job placement and housing navigation.
Formerly the Chattanooga Community Kitchen, the Chatt Foundation is at 727 E. 11th St., which King said places it in a central thoroughfare for the city's homeless population. There are, however, pockets of homelessness that exist in other parts of Chattanooga, and with public transportation being limited, it's not easy for members of those communities to make it to East 11th Street.
"While I think we do a great job of creating a safe and warm environment for the largest concentration of homeless, we remain worried about homeless concentrations in East Ridge and Hixson and Red Bank -- the areas that are just too far to travel," he said.
Contact David Floyd at dfloyd@timesfreepress.com or at 423-757-6249.