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Chattanooga: Community Kitchen plans renovation, expansion

By: Adam Crisp
(Contact)

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Charlie Hughes

The Chattanooga Community Kitchen is planning a $1.45 million renovation of a building at its E. 11th Street complex, officials say.

“For 25 years, the Community Kitchen has tried to meet the needs of the homeless, but about three years ago we identified three needs that no one in the community was meeting with consistency,” said Charlie Hughes, the kitchen’s executive director.

So the organization is planning to expand its operation to meet those needs, Mr. Hughes said. So far, the charity has raised $900,000 toward the goal, officials said.

Work on the expansion should be complete by October, Mr. Hughes said. After the renovations, he said, the 17,000-square-foot building will provide:

* A day center that will provide a place for the homeless to congregate, especially during inclement weather. Social workers will be on site to connect the homeless with services.

* Ten beds for homeless people recently released from hospitals.

* A worker’s shelter that allows people who recently received jobs to temporarily sleep and shower before heading to work.

“We feel embarrassed that we haven’t done it before,” Mr. Hughes said. “We try to meet as many needs as we can, but now we are going full circle. Our main goal is not to try to help the homeless so they can stay homeless. We want to motivate them to get into a lifestyle that’s productive, that includes work and permanent housing.”

The new services are in addition to the kitchen’s current night shelter, clothing giveaway program, thrift shop and food services, among others. The expanded services will be located in the building that houses the kitchen’s thrift shop, Mr. Hughes said, which means the shop will have its space reduced significantly. The thrift store needs only about 5,000 square feet to operate, he said.

So far, the campaign to raise money has been a behind-the-scenes effort, said Jack Riggar, the kitchen’s lead fundraiser. The kitchen is doing all the work on a budget, made easier because the expanded services will be in an existing building and can make use of electrical wiring, plumbing and air conditioning already in place, he said.

“This effort started about 2 1/2 years ago,” Mr. Riggar said. “We’ve been really blessed with wonderful donors.”

On Tuesday, the kitchen will host its 25th anniversary celebration and the community is invited, officials said. Mr. Hughes said he will unveil architectural renderings of the proposed expansion.

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