CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (Nov. 6, 2023) – For the second year, EPB will raise awareness about how to help end homelessness by donating to the Chattanooga Regional Homeless Coalition’s Flexible Housing Fund. Contributions to the Flexible Housing Fund through EPB’s Connect For Good go directly to help people experiencing homelessness get back into permanent housing. Last year, Connect For Good raised more than $67,000 for the Flexible Housing Fund.

“With so many people in our community living paycheck to paycheck, it can be an impossible decision to choose between rent, food, medicine or other basic necessities,” said Chattanooga Regional Homeless Coalition Interim Executive Director Mackenzie Kelly. “Often, the ability to repay back rent, late bills or other fees is all that stands between being homeless or having a home, and the Flexible Housing Fund can help.”

About the Flexible Housing Fund:

• Although the fund is intended to last a year, it is often exhausted in only six months.
• Nearly 90% of people who received support did not need further housing assistance.
• Funding supports back rent, utility payments, rent payments, application fees and other needs that help bridge the gap to housing.
• Donations are managed and dispersed exclusively by the Chattanooga Regional Homeless Coalition to help people experiencing homelessness overcome barriers to housing.
• The fund supplements existing community resources and fills gaps in needs not covered by other agencies.

The City of Chattanooga includes ending homelessness and increasing housing security among its priorities and has seen significant decreases in homeless populations in the last year.

“Solving homelessness is a complex and ongoing challenge that requires the collaboration of stakeholders across our community like the Chattanooga Regional Homeless Coalition,” said Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly. “Tools like the Flexible Housing Fund with the support of donors go a long way toward making a life-changing difference to someone who dreams of having somewhere safe where they can return home.”

The Homeless Coalition strives to lead the community in making homelessness rare, brief and nonrecurring, with the Flexible Housing Fund proven to be an effective, lasting measure to place people in housing. Gifts to the fund are managed according to established protocols:

• Case managers from more than 20 local agencies locate affordable housing for people in need.
• They submit requests to the Chattanooga Homeless Coalition.
• The Coalition verifies and processes requests before disbursing funds.

“During the first Connect For Good campaign, our community donated more than $67,000 to help people experiencing homelessness into homes, and we hope to raise even more this year for the Flexible Housing Fund,” said EPB President & CEO David Wade. “Our neighbors’ generosity continues to make our community a better place to live.”

Learn more or donate at epb.com/connect-for-good.

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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

With the mission of “enhancing quality of life in our community,” EPB is a municipal utility that delivers world-class energy and connectivity services to Chattanooga, Tennessee, and the surrounding area. In 2010, EPB completed a 100% fiber optic network accessible to all its customers as the basis for launching America’s first community-wide Gig speed internet. The company still operates the world’s fastest community-wide internet service today at speeds up to 25 Gig. EPB also utilizes Chattanooga’s fiber optic network as the communications backbone for the most advanced and highly automated power distribution system in the United States. In 2022, EPB continued its commitment to keeping Chattanooga on the cutting edge by establishing our nation’s first commercially available quantum network--EPB Quantum Network℠ powered by Qubitekk which aligns local job creation efforts with the national priority to accelerate the commercialization of quantum technology.

Since switching the lights on for its first electric customer in 1939, EPB has grown to serve a 600-square-mile service area with cutting-edge infrastructure that integrates power distribution and telecommunications. At the same time, EPB keeps customer benefit at the center of all its efforts, earning recognition from J.D. Power as the #1 Mid-Sized Utility in the South for the last seven consecutive years based on customer satisfaction ratings. Learn more at epb.com.