CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (Jan. 18, 2022) – Connect For Good, led by EPB with the Chattanooga Regional Homeless Coalition and the City of Chattanooga, raised $67,295, 100% of which directly funded the Flexible Housing Fund to help those experiencing homelessness secure permanent housing.

“We are incredibly grateful to Chattanoogans for opening their hearts to support permanent housing for some of our most vulnerable neighbors,” said Chattanooga Regional Homeless Coalition Executive Director Mike Smith. “We received gifts from $5 to $5,000 to help solve homelessness in our community. Thank you to each person and organization that donated, spread the word about Connect For Good and raised awareness about the issue of homelessness in Chattanooga.”

“Chattanooga's spirit of generosity is a huge part of what makes our city so special, and these donations will support hundreds of residents in need as they get back on their feet,” said Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly. “Homelessness is not a challenge we can solve overnight, but by working together on short- and long- term solutions, we are already starting to make a real impact on curbing the rise in homelessness we've seen here since the pandemic.”

The Flexible Housing Fund supports people experiencing homelessness overcome barriers to housing by providing resources for back rent, utility payments, rent payments, application fees and other needs.

“We were honored to help raise awareness about the Chattanooga Regional Homeless Coalition’s work to help solve homelessness as part of our mission to enhance quality of life for everyone in our community," said EPB President and CEO David Wade. "We appreciate the generosity of our neighbors who are making a difference for so many people in need."

EPB began planning Connect For Good over the summer to align community support with the needs identified in Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly’s “One Chattanooga” plan, which aims to address housing security among long-standing opportunity gaps in the city.

The Chattanooga Regional Homeless Coalition continues to accept donations directly at homelesscoalition.org.

About the Chattanooga Regional Homeless Coalition

Chattanooga Regional Homeless Coalition (CRHC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that has been serving 11 counties of Southeast Tennessee as the leader in maximizing resources for people living in conditions not meant for human habitation since 1995. CRHC exists to lead, coordinate, and strengthen efforts to prevent and end homelessness throughout Southeast Tennessee, striving to lead the community in making homelessness rare, brief, and nonrecurring. For more information, visit www.homelesscoalition.org.

About EPB

EPB delivers advanced smart city infrastructure and world-class energy and connectivity solutions, including the most resilient smart grid power distribution system in the United States and the fastest internet in the world. EPB gained national notice when it deployed America’s first community-wide Gig-speed internet in 2010, later expanding the ubiquitously available service to 10 Gig in 2015 and 25 Gig in 2022. Ever committed to keeping Chattanooga on the cutting edge, in 2022, EPB established EPB Quantum NetworkSM powered by Qubitekk, America’s first industry-led, commercially available quantum network designed for private companies as well as government and university researchers to run quantum equipment and applications in an established fiber optic environment.

EPB utilizes its fiber optic network as the communications backbone for more than 200,000 smart switches, sensors and other devices. As a result, the Chattanooga area’s power distribution system is the most advanced and highly automated smart grid in the nation. This led the U.S. Department of Energy to name EPB a living laboratory for pioneering smart grid technologies. Since then, EPB has partnered with Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, and more than 20 other national research partners to play a critical role in more than $155 million in smart city research, earning such recognitions as the R&D 100 Award for its work to apply quantum technologies to securing America’s electric grid. EPB was also the first major power distribution utility to earn the GBCI’s PEER certification for having a highly automated, modernized electric power grid in 2015 and followed up in 2021 by re-certifying at PEER Gold.

EPB is an independent board of the City of Chattanooga which began serving customers in 1939 and today reaches a 600-square-mile service territory that includes the city of Chattanooga, Tennessee, and the surrounding area. Visit epb.com for more information.