About Us

Chattanooga Room in the Inn (CRITI) offers a residential program for women and children facing homelessness. Services provided at CRITI are free of charge and include transitional housing, one meal a day provided by volunteers, life skills training, parenting classes, mentoring, assistance with finding affordable housing (Rapid Rehousing Program), and case management services. This program allows the women and their children to find stability and thereby increase their opportunities and chances for independence when they leave the program.

PROGRAMS

Chattanooga Room in the Inn provides more than just shelter. In the loving arms of our program, women can address the issues that brought them to our door, learn how to pave the way to a brighter future and never be homeless again.

SHELTER TO STABILITY

The Shelter to Stability program provides a safe and supportive place for homeless women and children to live, along with resources needed to move toward stability and to find permanent, safe housing. The ultimate goal of the program is for the women and children served through the program to never become homeless again.

RAPID REHOUSING

Each participant in the Shelter to Stability program completes a housing assessment at the time of admission so that barriers to permanent housing can be identified. A housing assessment also helps staff know what type of housing services are best suited for the participant.

CHILD ADVOCACY

Women with children who move into the shelter have access to services from a Child Advocate on staff whose sole job is supporting the children during their stay. Services include tutoring/academic assistance, advocacy on behalf of children at school meetings, and parenting classes.

Our History

In 1988, a study by the Chattanooga Metropolitan Council on homelessness found there were few options available to single women and women with children who found themselves homeless. Various organizations were invited to join in addressing this critical issue. Using the model of Nashville's Room in the Inn, Christine Morrison spearheaded efforts to recruit church and volunteers to host the homeless guests.The result was astonishing: Chattanooga Room in the Inn officially began on August 31, 1988, offering overnight shelter at seven area churches (Brainerd Church of Christ, Central Presbyterian Church, First Centenary United Methodist Church, First Christian Church, Hixson Church of Christ, Hixson United Methodist Church, and Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church). In 1992, Chattanooga Room in the Inn moved into its own facility and developed into a fully operational shelter open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.