Fentress Non-Profit Aims To Support Homeless

A new non-profit established in Fentress County to help the the local homeless population.

The Community House Inc Executive Director Rachelle Kerr said Fentress County has no emergency housing or similar provisions for the homeless. Kerr said the non-profit plans to develop a farm site where homeless people can stay to learn new skills and see the value of their productivity.

“We want to provide not just a remedy for homelessness, but we really, our goal is to break that cycle of poverty,” Kerr said. “That just perpetual cycle that sometimes happens when people are struggling.”

Kerr said the non-profit does not have a location but it is working to acquire grants and state funding that would allow it to move forward. Kerr said the organization has an emphasis on providing support for homeless families as they are turned away from shelters when a child is the opposite gender of their parent.

“We would like to provide opportunities for addiction recovery services support, mental health support, also basic medical evaluations,” Kerr said. “And meeting those needs with medical, vision, and even dental.”

Kerr said she and her husband felt a need to do something for local homeless people because they were been made aware of the drastic need for support through their work leading a church. Kerr said the county’s homeless population is forced to live in campers with no utilities, in tents outside city limits, or on couches with friends or family where possible.

“We immediately started connected with like-minded people within our community,” Kerr said. “So Manna House, their executive director, William Webb, we immediately shared, just a small planning team, we shared with him our desire and he said this is an absolute answer to prayer.”

Kerr said the Community House partners with the Manna House, the Fentress Hope Foundation, and other groups in the community to do outreach events while the search for funding continues. Kerr said the non-profit has been able to provide those in need with free food, clothing, toiletries, and haircuts via several events in the past.

“To feel community, I think that’s something that I yearn for people who may feel out of touch, maybe not worthy, not capable of being part of a community because they’re battling homelessness,” Kerr said.