"It's incredible how many bad things happened in a very short amount of time," Sarah remarked. Joe and Sarah looked like any other Cleveland family—two kids, two dogs, jobs, and a routine. But beneath the surface, hidden financial complications left them vulnerable. When a child's serious illness struck, everything unraveled in a single devastating week: job loss, eviction, and mounting pressure with nowhere to turn. What happened next would test their resilience and reveal the power of...

Eva conducting a Point in Time Survey I often get asked, "How many homeless do we have in Bradley County?" I wish I had a simple answer, but like most complex issues, it's not that straightforward. What our annual count reveals—and more importantly, what it doesn't reveal—tells a story that every member of our community needs to understand. The reality of homelessness in Bradley County goes far beyond the numbers you might expect. From the hidden populations we can't count to the staggering...

Before the pandemic, I could move a family from homelessness into housing in 8 to 10 weeks with less than $2,000. COVID changed everything, and recent data from the Tennessee Housing Development Agency paints a bleak picture: 2,807 low-income households in our community are competing for just 1,901 affordable housing units. This mismatch is forcing families to pay 40% or even 50% of their income on housing, leaving no room for emergencies or savings—and this is why we have a homeless problem....