After earmarking nearly $3 million for the project in 2022, Chattanooga officials said they are still urgently moving forward with plans to develop the city’s first 24/7 homeless shelter with fewer barriers to immediate shelter, but they’re not yet ready to announce a location.
“We know that we need one,” Kevin Roig, Mayor Tim Kelly’s senior adviser for public affairs, said in a phone call Friday. “We’re exploring multiple sites and potential locations for that shelter, and we’re doing our due diligence in pursuit of those potential sites. We’re just not in a place to make a public announcement.”
The city refers to the project as a low-barrier shelter, which generally means there are fewer rules and restrictions for those seeking a place to sleep.
In late July, the city set aside $2.84 million in federal pandemic relief funds for the project, which was part of a larger $30 million spending plan proposed by Kelly and then approved by the Chattanooga City Council.