Union Gospel Mission breaks ground on eight-bed expansion
Staff photo by Matt Hamilton / Executive Director Jon Rector, left, talks with Hamilton County Mayor Weston Wamp during a groundbreaking for the new Union Gospel Mission shelter expansion. Staff photo by Matt Hamilton / Executive Director Jon Rector, left, talks with Hamilton County Mayor Weston Wamp during a groundbreaking for the new Union Gospel Mission shelter expansion.
The Union Gospel Mission of Chattanooga broke ground on an eight-bed expansion, increasing the shelter’s housing capacity from 12 to 20.
“You know, eight beds when you’re looking at thousands of homeless may not seem like a lot,” the Rev. Jon Rector, director of the mission, said at the groundbreaking. “But I’m going to tell you, to those eight guys who get those beds, it’s incredible. A huge impact on their lives.”
The faith-based mission on Signal Hills Drive serves men who are unhoused or using substances. The two programs offered are a six-month residential discipleship for men struggling with “life-controlling” issues and 90-day transitional housing that serves the discipleship program graduates and others.
So far, the mission has raised about $147,000 of the $300,000 needed to fund the project. Rector said the organization is asking people to fund the project “buy the foot,” meaning they sponsor 1 square foot of the new building for $250. The mission lacks sponsorship for 627 square feet.
Staff photo by Matt Hamilton/ Executive director Jon Rector, far left, Hamilton County Mayor Weston Wamp, second from left, and others participate in a groundbreaking ceremony for the new Union Gospel Mission shelter expansion on Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025.Staff photo by Matt Hamilton/ Shovels sit in a row before the start of a groundbreaking for the new Union Gospel Mission shelter expansion on Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025.Staff photo by Matt Hamilton/ Hamilton County Mayor Weston Wamp speaks during a groundbreaking for the new Union Gospel Mission shelter expansion on Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025.Staff photo by Matt Hamilton/ Executive director Jon Rector speaks during a groundbreaking for the new Union Gospel Mission shelter expansion on Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025.Staff photo by Matt Hamilton/ Hard hats sit in a row before the start of a groundbreaking for the new Union Gospel Mission shelter expansion on Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025.Staff photo by Matt Hamilton/ Executive director Jon Rector speaks during a groundbreaking for the new Union Gospel Mission shelter expansion on Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025.Staff photo by Matt Hamilton/ Supervisor Dan Johnson speaks during a groundbreaking for the new Union Gospel Mission shelter expansion on Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025.Staff photo by Matt Hamilton/ Executive director Jon Rector speaks during a groundbreaking for the new Union Gospel Mission shelter expansion on Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025.Staff photo by Matt Hamilton/ Executive director Jon Rector, left, talks with Hamilton County Mayor Weston Wamp during a groundbreaking for the new Union Gospel Mission shelter expansion on Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025.Staff photo by Matt Hamilton/ Hard hats sit in a row before the start of a groundbreaking for the new Union Gospel Mission shelter expansion on Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025.Staff photo by Matt Hamilton/ Executive director Jon Rector speaks during a groundbreaking for the new Union Gospel Mission shelter expansion on Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025.Staff photo by Matt Hamilton/ Executive director Jon Rector, far left, Hamilton County Mayor Weston Wamp, second from left, and others participate in a groundbreaking ceremony for the new Union Gospel Mission shelter expansion on Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025.
The mission did not have an official date for completion, but the structure should be sealed off from weather by the end of December, Rector said by phone. He hopes the two-bedroom, two-bathroom complex will be ready for men to occupy the beds by the end of February.
