The city of Chattanooga is cutting down about a dozen trees outside the Chatt Foundation, a social service agency where the homeless community frequently gathers outside, as summer nears. The group’s CEO says he wasn’t aware until Day 1 of the cutting.
Along 11th Street, the Chatt Foundation, a nonprofit group, has several buildings along a block that was previously shaded by a dozen trees.
Groups of homeless people often sit outside, waiting in line for the nonprofit’s meal service or keeping close to its day shelter and community center. The sidewalk in the area was made up of bricks that were starting to pop out of place, nonprofit CEO Baron King said by phone, and the nonprofit has been on the city’s list to put in a cement sidewalk for years.
King said the out-of-place bricks made traversing the sidewalk difficult for people using wheelchairs, and people have thrown the bricks in the past. But he didn’t know that sidewalk work would require cutting down the trees, he said, until it started happening.
He’s been told the plan is to replace the trees eventually, and he’s taking the city at its word, he said.
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“I do know that in certain cities across the country, one of the tactics used to attempt to drive homeless individuals out of the community is to remove things that provide comfort, whether that’s shade trees or benches or places to rest,” King said. “I’m hoping that that isn’t the case here. I’m hoping that the timing just happens to be coincidental.”
For about a week, the city’s Public Works Department has been cutting down the trees outside the Chatt Foundation as part of the project to replace the sidewalk.
According to a statement from Mayor Tim Kelly’s spokesperson, Stephanie Cepak, the city’s urban forestry standards prohibit disturbing more than 25% of a tree’s critical roots when doing construction work. This sidewalk project would have removed 50% of the roots, she said by email. So, for the project to move forward, the trees needed to be removed.
The city will work on removing the trees and replacing the sidewalk in August. Then staffers will plant fresh ones in new, bigger tree wells along the street from December 2026 to February 2027. The trees will be the London plane species, Cepak said.
Chattanooga cutting down trees near Chatt Foundation homeless services
“The trees replanted during the FY27 planting season will be a much more appropriate species for the space,” Errol Williams, Public Works spokesperson, said by email. “They will also plant the largest size they can source to replace the lost shade and canopy as quickly as possible.”
(READ MORE: Chattanooga officials clear homeless encampment on city property)
In the meantime, the Chatt Foundation will have to prepare for a hot summer, King said.
“It’s going to create hardship for folks in the downtown area especially,” he said, “especially the ones that line up for food or just need to get out of the direct contact of the sun.”
The Chatt Foundation is drawing up a proposal to ask the city to fund its community center seven days a week, so the nonprofit can provide additional air conditioned space during the summer, King said.
Right now, the day shelter is open all week. The community center is only open five days a week.
Homeless people suffer more seizures during the summer, King said, due to hydration and medication issues, so the nonprofit is also looking at getting even more water to hand out this season.
Overall, the past couple months have been frustrating, he said. The Chatt Foundation has seen increased police presence outside, and people making use of shelter services have felt threatened, King said.
The tree cutting has been another addition to those issues, he said.
“It’s becoming a little bit more difficult week by week to just trust city government on what they say they’re going to do,” King said.
Contact city and county reporter Siena Duncan at sduncan@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6354.