Lauren McLain and Brittanney Hall are the co-founders of SmileLillie LLC, a new Transitional Housing Organization in Chattanooga.
The two Certified Nursing Assistants formed SmileLillie LLC on Nov. 8, 2025, after the two young ladies decided they had more to give in terms of helping others.
McLain said they started thinking about creating the foundation and primarily focus on assisting veterans.
“Because they’ve done a lot for our country and are often forgotten,” she said.
Hall said the more they thought about it, the more they realized they wanted to reach as many people as possible to include those recently released from incarceration, those facing homelessness and folks looking to recover from addictions.
The two women, co-workers and life-long friends, named the organization after their grandmothers.
“My grandmother’s name is Smiley,” Hall said. “And mine is Lillie,” McLain noted.
“The funny thing is we recently found out they both had the same middle name of Mae,” Hall continued.
McLain said she reached out to her relative, Diane Moore who runs Vision of Mercy, a non-profit that addresses homelessness as well. She said she learned how to form the foundation and also recalled having a family member that dealt with substance abuse.
The two women are gathering resources and partnering with other organization to reach out to people who may need access to their transitional housing program.
“We’ll have a separate house for men and another for women,” Hall. “There will be house rules, but we want to help people get their life back together.”
McLain said they plan to provide guidance and resources for those seeking recovery and plan to work with local correctional facilities to help people leaving the prison system so they can get the documents and resources they need to find jobs and reduce recidivism.
Hall said they had a recent meeting with the folks at the Chatt Foundation and plan to meet with veteran groups to better serve these communities. McLain said they are also looking for homeowners and landlords so they can increase the amount of transitional housing options they can utilize to get people housed.
Hall said they already have a waiting list and hope to find more transitional housing options as soon as possible.
“People feel safer when housed,” she said. “It makes their lives better and helps them to improve.”
“Sometimes you just need somebody to have your back and just be there for you,” Hall added. “We're trying to help everybody.”
The ladies said the foundation was created to address the growing homelessness situation in the city and the large gap in stable and supportive housing. The duo believe that homeless people are willing to better their lives but lack a stable environment to start from.
They vow to provide structured transitional housing, life-skills development, and community support. The foundation will provide assistance in finding the right counseling folks need to thrive and will assist with job referrals, training, certifications and education programs.
The two women have been handing out their business cards and tri-fold flyers at different organizations. The flyer has a QR code that can be scanned to be linked to their assistance. Or you can give them a call directly. You can reach Hall at (423) 303-0550 or McLain a (423) 382-2900. Or email them for an application at: smilelillie.llc@gmail.com