The Chattanooga Housing Authority is partnering with the city to make housing vouchers more accessible to homeless individuals in Chattanooga.
CHA offers vouchers valued around $6,000 annually to up to 150 individuals in need, which are used by participating landlords throughout Hamilton County to offset the cost of monthly housing rentals. With the new hires, the city seeking to help CHA streamline the process for applicants. In addition to the new hires, CHA will now accept referrals from the city.
"Our board took action that amended the authority's Housing Choice Voucher Program (HCVP) Administrative Plan to include the City of Chattanooga as a referral source for housing preference vouchers," CHA executive director Elizabeth McCright said in a release this week. "The change takes place immediately and we couldn't be more excited that more homeless individuals and families will receive the housing support and associated case management that they need. This partnership will result in many moving from homelessness to hopefulness for their futures."
Ultimately, the city aims to employ three full-time case managers, four full-time housing navigators, one full-time outreach coordinator and four part-time outreach coordinators, as a part of Mayor Andy Berke's continued efforts to combat homelessness in Chattanooga.
"The more partnerships we can develop with organizations like the Chattanooga Housing Authority, the more stability we can create for people in our city," Berke said. "I appreciate our continued partnership with CHA and look forward to the difference we can make by working together."
Homeless individuals and families will be referred by the Chattanooga Homeless Coalition's Coordinated Entry System as well as from the City of Chattanooga's Homeless Services Program. Sam Wolfe, the city's homeless program coordinator, noted the importance of the partnership. He said, "Last year, the City of Chattanooga commissioned a study on homelessness in the city. Working with CHA, we believe these vouchers will provide opportunities to greatly diminish homelessness in the city and we're grateful for the difference these vouchers will make as we continue the important work ahead of us."
The partnership comes less than a month after Berke introduced his fiscal year 2020 budget, which includes more than $1.3 million in funding for homelessness initiatives in the city, including more than $750,000 for personnel and more than $600,000 distributed among Family Promise, Room at the Inn, Goodwill Furniture Bank and the Homelessness Coalition.
Contact Sarah Grace Taylor at staylor@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6416.