Working to Better Understand and Address Tennessee Valley Rural Homelessness

Participants in the rural Homeless Conference, center Bob W. Cook, Knoxville Field Office Director, and Melanie Cordell, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Tennessee Valley Coalition of the Homeless and member of the Rural Homeless Roundtable.

For the most part, rural homelessness was not generally recognized as a serious topic of research until early 2007. Fast forward to 2019, considerable time has lapsed and significant gaps in understanding of rural homelessness still exist. Knoxville Field Office Director, Bob W. Cook engaged with the Tennessee Valley Coalition for the Homeless (TVCH) in a Roundtable discussion about "Ending Homelessness in Rural Communities". Cook's participation at the event provided an increased understanding of the challenges and opportunities faced by the local rural community. Rural homelessness challenges include scarcity of rural service settings, difficulty locating homeless persons who are not using services and workers who cover remote rural areas.

"What we do today will be the start of something very special that will invariably help more effectively address the challenges of rural homelessness in our communities," said Cook.

During the roundtable Cook provided a much needed and appreciated strategic approach to strengthen the coordinated efforts of policy makers and service providers across the region. Some of the collaborative partners who participated in the roundtable were USDA, Veteran Affairs, National Safe Place, Department of Education, Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse, Department of Transportation, Tennessee Suicide Prevention Network, Akins Public Strategies, Servolution Health Services, Choice Health Network, University of Tennessee - Law, Nursing, Program Evaluation, Social Work, and their Extension Office, Douglas Cherokee Economic Development, and the Tennessee Valley Coalition for the Homeless/Rural Homeless Institute. The discussions focused on the challenges related to developing and implementing effective processes in rural communities including the types of partnerships that are necessary for effectively assessing, referring, and providing services to people experiencing homelessness, for example behavioral and mental conditions, transportation, employment services, legal and other barriers to housing, education, and affordable housing.

The roundtable marks the inception of the Rural Homeless Institute (RHI), a division of TVCH, which will identify best practices for reducing the frequency and duration of homelessness and develop evidence-based program models for improving outcomes in rural communities. This opportunity illustrated how HUD's strategic approach garners the collaborative expertise of partners in a rural approach that will assist in solving rural homelessness in the twelve-county region of the Tennessee Valley Coalition of the Homeless.

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