After being asked by court officials to fund more space in juvenile detention centers, a group of Hamilton County commissioners is now urging the county to back out of a verbal agreement to provide land for the expansion of a homeless shelter.
Former Hamilton County Mayor Jim Coppinger had agreed to give the downtown property — formerly the site of the now-demolished Humane Society building — to the Chattanooga Room in the Inn, the county’s only homeless shelter serving women and children. The nonprofit, one of four shelters in the county, wants to offer more rooms for women and children in need.
The county commission never passed a resolution formalizing the agreement. The county’s juvenile court and detention center on Third Street are a block from the county property that was to be donated to Chattanooga Room in the Inn, which owns land adjacent to the property Coppinger had informally agreed to donate to the nonprofit.
Longtime Hamilton County Juvenile Judge Robert Philyaw and others have told commissioners (some of whom were given a tour of the county’s child support building Wednesday morning before a commission meeting) that county officials should reconsider that decision, Commissioner Lee Helton (R-East Brainerd) told facilities committee members after the tour.
A meeting between commissioners and management of the Chattanooga Room in the Inn was canceled earlier this month.
“We discussed the future needs of the juvenile court and the lack of property of that size. The county is keeping what’s there and letting Room in the Inn do the other planning for its growth plan,” Helton told the assembled committee members. “I don’t think that’s a bad idea.”
Helton said the county could help the Chattanooga Room in the Inn find another location for expansion and maybe even help out with some money, but the juvenile court requirements would remain and would only become more expensive if the county donated land that could be developed. The 27-bed juvenile detention center is outdated and dilapidated, and more space is needed to house violent, young offenders, he told the facilities committee.
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“We all believe in what Room in the Inn does. We all believe in their mission and support them,” Helton said by phone Wednesday, adding that the county child support court facility at the intersection of Central Avenue and Main Street is also in “deplorable condition.”
“I think we need to keep this property and not just pay lip service to it, but really help them find another way to expand their business without costing taxpayers more money,” he continued. “I don’t want to pull the rug out from under anyone.”
At the meeting, Commissioner Gene-o Shipley, R-Soddy Daisy, and Commissioner Greg Beck, D-North Brainerd, supported the proposal from Helton, chairman of the Facilities Committee.
Commissioner David Sharpe (D-Red Bank), who told commissioners he was unaware of the morning’s tour with court officials, expressed concern that a change of course would require Chattanooga Room in the Inn to seek land elsewhere and go through a contentious rezoning process that could jeopardize a needed expansion.
(READ MORE: Hamilton County sees slight decline in unsheltered homelessness)
Sharpe asked fellow committee members why the juvenile court could not use the abandoned prison facility.
“It seems to me we haven’t exhausted all of our options yet,” Sharpe said at the meeting. “I think they (Chattanooga Room in the Inn) provide an incredibly meaningful service to this community and, frankly, would help reduce the need for beds in the juvenile detention center.”
Helton said he would lead commissioners in forming a working group to begin studying the problem.
Claire McVay, the county mayor’s chief of staff, said during the meeting that she was aware of the tour and that Sharpe had been briefed. But she did not comment on behalf of the administration on the land donation discussion.
“Our office is working closely with Chairman Helton and other commissioners to develop the best long-term solution for this project that balances the needs of the community and those of the court system,” McVay said in a statement when asked about County Mayor Weston Wamp’s stance on Wednesday.
(READ MORE: Chattanooga faces questions, skepticism over location of low-barrier-to-access homeless shelter)
A call to the Chattanooga Room in the Inn seeking comment was not immediately returned.
Investing in expanding permanent supportive housing projects and increasing the number of emergency shelters will lead to greater housing stability for Chattanooga’s most vulnerable, Mackenzie Kelly, executive director of the Chattanooga Regional Homeless Coalition, said in a statement.
“We recognize the importance of continuing to expand these resources to continue to effectively meet local needs,” Kelly wrote.
Contact Joan McClane at [email protected] or 423-757-6601.
