7974
NUMBER OF BED NIGHTS AT CRITI IN 2018
76%
PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS BECAME EMPLOYED IN 2019
4986
NUMBER OF VOLUNTEER HOURS AT CRITI IN 2019
100%
GRADUATES REMAINING IN PERMANENT HOUSING IN 2019
STORIES OF HOPE
Women with children are the fastest growing homeless group in our area. Chattanooga Room in the Inn provides housing and services at no charge, giving them the time they need to get back on their feet. Read the success stories of our amazing women.
CRITI showed me that I am not just a homeless person, but a human being, and how amazing I am! I know that I can get different results by making different choices. I'm happier than I have ever been.KATHRYN
CRITI Alum
After a few weeks at CRITI, my mom found a job. Being homeless was really motivating for me. It made me want to push harder, not only for me but for my mom. You know what CRITI does? It gives women hope!CHRISTINA
CRITI Alum
Without CRITI, I don't know where I would have ended up. CRITI gave me the chance to become a productive member of society. Most importantly, the staff believed in me so that I could believe in myself.TERESA
CRITI Alum
CRITI helped me establish a nest egg so that an emergency expense won't lead to homelessness again. For the people who support CRITI: You are giving us the will to keep going!CARLA
CRITI Alum
The scariest part about being homeless was wondering how it will affect my son. The other day he told me 'I don't give up because you never give up.' I never said that to him. He learned that by watching me.MONIQUE
CRITI Alum
My biggest blessing here was learning to love myself. I found home in me and I didn’t know that before. Sometimes you’ve got to leave everything you know to find out who you areCHRISTINE
CRITI Alum
Shopping Black Friday deals? Check out our Amazon wish list for some shelter bedroom needs: a.co/8W5XsQs. In our smaller spaces, organization can be hard so we are in need of some storage items. We also could use some things to make the rooms as comfortable as possible.
Thank you for shopping for women and children in need this holiday season! ... See MoreSee Less
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Happy Thanksgiving from our staff to your family! We hope you enjoy the holiday. ... See MoreSee Less
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It’s the season of giving! Thanks to our friends with Dealers Auto Auction of Chattanooga for blessing five former resident families with all the fixings for Thanksgiving, additional food for two weeks, plus a $150 Food City gift card for each family. These families can't wait to celebrate the holiday in their own space this year!
We are so very thankful for community partners like the special folks at Dealers Auto! ... See MoreSee Less
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We are so thankful for community partnerships like our newly formed one with Novonix! They approached us about hiring some of our residents with full-time living wage jobs. Beth*, a single mom of one teen daughter, went through the interview process and just secured a full-time job with Novonix! Before being hired on, she was only working part-time at a job that paid $10 an hour and not making much progress toward her financial goals. She is so thrilled to have this new opportunity and it's all thanks to this wonderful business who sought out women in need and wanted to help make an impact!
Congrats to Beth and thanks to Novonix!
*Name changed for confidentiality ... See MoreSee Less
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amazing 🤩
Mark your calendars for December 1st to learn more about our 12 Days of Holiday Giving campaign! We will be sharing various ways you can make an impact this season of giving, from volunteer opportunities to providing fun outings for our shelter residents (and much more!). #tistheseason #giveback ... See MoreSee Less
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The season of giving is nearly here! Many of you are probably shopping for the people on your list already. Please consider adding the women and children at our shelter to your list this holiday season!
When families arrive at CRITI, they come with all of their belongings, which makes storage in our bedrooms tricky. We are in need of various storage items, as well as some things to make our families feel cozy in their new space. Our wish list can be found here: a.co/8W5XsQs.
These are not urgent needs, but something to keep in mind as you make holiday purchases. Thank you for helping to provide a comforting and organized space for women and children! ... See MoreSee Less
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We recently received this note of thanks from a past participant of our prevention and outreach program:
Before I found Room in the Inn, my life was in chaos. I was going to be evicted from my home because the owners were selling it, and I couldn’t afford to move anywhere else. The team at CRITI stepped in and helped me secure an apartment.
Unfortunately, shortly after I got into the apartment, I had to have major neck surgery and during the healing process, I lost my job of 12 years. CRITI once again stepped in to help me find a new job with the assistance of some very generous supporters.
My apartment now means a lot to me because it’s the first place I’ve ever had on my own and the first place I feel safe after everything I’ve been through in life. Feeling safe and having a roof over your head really does help keep a person's mindset positive. Life is slowly getting back on track and I couldn't have done it without the people at CRITI. So a huge thank you to you guys! Words can never really express how thankful and appreciative I am. ... See MoreSee Less
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We were so thankful to have a great group from Elliott Davis volunteer with us recently to prepare a meal for our residents and help with some building updates. We LOVE our volunteers! ... See MoreSee Less
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This volunteer group did such an amazing job helping us with some much-needed projects! We are so grateful for their support. ... See MoreSee Less
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