A charity and a nonprofit officially have Chattanooga officials’ approval to start a homeless shelter in an old motel.
The motel, formerly known as Airport Inn, will eventually be transformed into Provident Place. It will operate as a shelter for families, opening over 100 beds while operating as a transitional housing model — a place where people can stay for months at a time while working on getting employment and permanent housing.
The city originally bought the building on Lee Highway for $2.7 million, outlining plans in 2021 to transition the structure into supportive housing for homeless residents. Those plans stalled after the city dropped a contractor.
Now, the council has approved the city’s plans to donate the building to Grateful Gobbler, a charity that donates its proceeds to the Maclellan Foundation. The latter organization helps run a family shelter at the Chatt Foundation. That shelter will phase out of operation once Provident Place opens.