The Great Smoky Mountain Journal
Source: WVLT
Posted: Tuesday, January 01, 2019 02:34 PM
Blount County United Way And Family Promise Agencies Dealing With Homelessness
It's homelessness.
United Way and Family Promise held a forum Tuesday night. About 170 people came to learn more and offer services.
The organizations said they account for about 300 homeless people every year, but they said that number could be quadrupled when considering the people afraid to come forward or who can't make their way into town for lack of transportation.
Wendy Wand explained, although Maryville and Alcoa are growing, they have to address the homelessness issue on a rural scale.
"If people are on the outskirts of the county, it's hard to find them because they're on private land. They could be anywhere. Not only is it hard to find them, it's hard to get to them because the lack of transportation here," Wand said.
At this time, organization officials said they do not see a need for a mass shelter. Instead, United Way of Blount County works with four small shelters.
"Opening up a mass shelter so people have somewhere to go inside - beautiful. That does not solve homelessness though. Life changes when we come alongside each other, and that's what we need. So whatever that looks like, I don't know the answer to that really, but I know people need each other," Wand insisted.
She's seen that with Richard Cade, who has been living at one of the shelters, Family Promise, with his son. Richard has been granted veteran housing and will be moving in Thursday afternoon. Richard said it was a combination of Family Promise, United Way and his son that made him want to get back up on his feet.
"Since I've been here, I've got the most help," Richard said. "The people from different churches didn't look down on me because I was homeless or because I was different. They just treated me like they cared."
Family Promise and case managers have also helped Richard fill out job applications and take his son to and from school. Transportation is also a major issue for the homeless in Blount County. Knoxville has public transportation to assist, but Blount County covers a lot of land, and there's almost no public transportation.
Local 8 News also spoke with an undercover narcotics investigator who serves as the boots on the ground when it comes to the homeless in Blount County. He said they are working on a solution for people who really need that kind of help.
"To help someone get into housing, I had to take them to the health department to get a birth certificate, then to the DMV to get an ID, then Knoxville to get a social security card. They have to have all those things to get into housing," he said.
Since Tuesday's meeting, working professionals have been reaching out to see if they can help with the homeless population in Blount County. If you're interested in helping, United Way of Blount County has links to connect you to services, volunteering and donations.