Homeless shelter looking to expand
A nonprofit is raising funds to add two new units to its emergency shelter in Oak Ridge for Anderson County’s homeless families.
Bookhart Village in Oak Ridge is a non-communal shelter, meaning people stay in separate units rather than together run by Tennessee Outreach Center for Homeless.
Alyssa Cook, TORCH’s director of development, said the shelter serves families living in Anderson County with children under 18 who meet the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development’s definition of homelessness.
There’s no limit on how long anyone can stay, but a case manager works with the residents to make sure they’re looking for more-permanent housing.
“One of our core missions is that no child experiences homelessness in Anderson County,” Cook said of her organization TORCH.
All of Bookhart Village’s units were full as of March 17.
However, Cook said there were still nine children as of that date currently living in uninhabitable buildings or hotels who would have qualified for Bookhart Village if it had room.
“Expanding by two units would allow us to reduce this number, and with regular turnover in the units, we believe this expansion could bring us significantly closer to achieving, and potentially fully meeting, our mission,” she said.
“We believe that in Anderson County no child should sleep outside,” O’Quinn said, summarizing that mission.
TORCH plans to begin construction on Sept. 1, The fundraising goal is $500,000.
You can mail donations by check to P.O. Box 5448, Oak Ridge, TN 37831 or deliver them in person to the TORCH office at 152 Bus Terminal Road in Oak Ridge.
