Leaders from the Chattanooga Regional Homeless Coalition are pleased to have received a $500,000 grant from the Tennessee Housing Development Agency.
The funds received by the Homeless Coalition will be distributed to local landlords who are referred by the Eviction Prevention Initiative to recuperate lost rent.
EPI was launched in 2020 and provides families facing eviction with attorneys and social workers who can help them avoid displacement. Local and national data strongly indicates that access to counsel and case management can prevent one of the root causes of homelessness.
Landlords must be referred by tenants who are working with EPI in order to qualify for these rent relief funds.
“A crucial component in a community’s work to end homelessness must be the shift in systemic perspective from being responsive to proactive to reduce inflow into homelessness,” says Mike Smith, Executive Director of CRHC. “This partnership between CRHC and the Eviction Prevention Initiative will be paramount in making chronic homelessness in our community rare, brief, and non-recurring.”
“This is an important win for our community. We started the Eviction Prevention Initiative with a host of community partners at the height of the pandemic to help keep families in their homes and avoid becoming homeless,” says Community Foundation of Greater Chattanooga President Maeghan Jones.
"Today, the pressure on our housing sector is only getting more intense, and as rents and the cost of living go up, people on the margins have to struggle harder to make ends meet. EPI is a critical component of our community’s larger effort to end chronic homelessness, and on behalf our partners at Legal Aid of East Tennessee, Habitat For Humanity of Greater Chattanooga, and the City of Chattanooga, we are grateful for THDA’s timely investment.”
“This investment in EPI will help stabilize vulnerable families in our community, while providing landlords with access to the rental income they are rightfully owed,” says THDA Chairman and Chattanooga business leader Matt McGauley. “EPI is not only fully aligned with THDA’s mission, it’s another example of how good Chattanoogans are at collaborating quickly in times of crisis. This initiative has proven to be highly efficient and cost-effective, and it is entirely deserving of THDA’s support."
Tenants facing eviction can learn more about how to access these funds by calling the Eviction Prevention Initiative at (423) 710-9432 or rent423.com.