Today, City of Knoxville Public Service Department crews began preparing the area underneath Interstate 40 at Broadway for construction of a new day space for unsheltered people.
In September 2017, Mayor Madeline Rogero announced the City would dedicate $500,000 in additional resources to address the unsheltered homeless living in the area.
Some of those funds were allocated to Volunteer Ministry Center to hire two social workers who are reaching out directly to chronically homeless people who have been resistant to receiving services.
Another social worker with Helen Ross McNabb Center is focused on outreach to prostitutes, aiming to divert them from the streets by connecting them with social services and access to permanent housing.
A new multi-agency coordinated intake, assessment and referral system has been created to speed up referrals to housing and prioritize those individuals with the most urgent needs. (The name of the coordinated intake system is CHAMP, or Coordinated Housing Assessment and Match Plan.)
Additional dollars will be used to create an improved day space for unsheltered homeless individuals.
After the initial cleanup of the Broadway site, the City’s Engineering Department will coordinate with contractors for paving and installation of fencing. Paving operations are tentatively set to begin around Oct. 29.
Located on the west side of Broadway, basic amenities for the day space are planned to include a paved area (replacing the current gravel ground cover), benches, picnic tables, new fencing and portable toilets.
“The finished product will be a very basic but safe and clean space where unsheltered people can be during the day, along with social workers who are focusing on long-term solutions with these individuals,” said Michael Dunthorn, program coordinator for the City’s Office on Homelessness.
Once construction is complete, the City will contract with a security company to open the gate in the morning, maintain general order during the day, and close the area and lock the gate at night. Public Service crews will clean the space every night.
“It’s not illegal to be homeless,” Mayor Rogero said. “But there are current safety and public health concerns that the City, Knoxville Police and service providers must address.”
Weeks ago, Knoxville Police officers and homelessness service providers, including Volunteer Ministry Center and Knox Area Rescue Ministries, began informing those individuals who have regularly gathered off Broadway that they would be displaced once the construction got underway.
Officers and service providers assisted those individuals in finding other places to stay, such as KARM’s shelter. KARM reported earlier in October that it was sheltering an increased number of people.
“There is space to accommodate people who want to sleep inside overnight,” Dunthorn said. “However, some people are resistant to those options for a variety of reasons. The City is working with service providers to assure availability of appropriate overnight shelter that will serve this portion of the unsheltered population.
“We are investing in resources to address immediate needs and concerns for people on the streets, while we also remain committed to our primary goal of helping every individual and family find an appropriate, affordable and permanent place to live.”