01/24/2026
ROC Winter Weather Warriors!
Over the past 2 days we have run the full gauntlet of what we would typically cover in a full weeks time! Responding and rolling with urgency, and extra outreach teams we were able to encounter 200 people in the encampments in the areas of Lookout Valley, Hwy. 58, foot of Signal Mtn., Northshore, Brainerd, Hixson, East Brainerd, Southside, and Rossville.
Each person was greeted with concern and warning about the incoming winter weather this weekend. Each was informed of the available cold weather shelters being the CHATT Foundation, The Salvation Army of Chattanooga, and The Chattanooga Rescue Mission. We were able to request that The Union Gospel Mission-Chattanooga Outreach open up 12 more spaces for people within the Signal Moutain area to stay there over the weekend. We were able to coordinate with our partners at The Dandelion Kind, Compassion Copper Canyon, McKamey Animal Center, and the Humane Educational Society to coordinate arrangements for anyone needing a place for their animals to be sheltered temporarily. Each person was encouraged that if they have supports that could allow them to be inside somewhere for the weekend to utilize those. Each was supplied with our usual supply bag filled with hygiene items, winter hat, winter gloves, chapstick, emergency blanket, a pair of new Bombas socks, snacks, canned food, hand sanitizer, condoms, sausage biscuits from First Christian Church Chattanooga, and Metropolitan Ministries, baked goods from Becaffeinated, hand warmers, bottled water from Coca-Cola, a trash bag, and a roll of toilet paper. Each was given a set of a new thermal shirt and new thermal pants. We offered hot coffee, tents, sleeping bags, tarps, blankets, flashlights, and batteries to anyone who needed them.
The 5 ROC Stars, pictured below, Joe from Homeless Healthcare, Kacy from the CHATT Foundation, Andy, Ben, and David from the City of Chattanooga - Government’s Office Of Homelessness And Supportive Housing couldn’t have gotten it done without the help of our community volunteers Gordon, Emaly, and Eddie, Behavioral Health Coordinator of Homeless Healthcare Yohannah, two interns from the CHATT Foundation, one intern from Welcome Home of Chattanooga, Kailee Shores a reporter for the Chattanooga Times Free Press (article dropping sometime this weekend), and Billy Weeks a photojournalist professor from The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (surprise project to be produced and released at a later date😉)
We gave it our best and we know that our best still isn’t enough. While we got to as many people as we did, we know that there are many more we didn’t get to. But now we have to rest in knowing we have done all that we could, and be ready to hit it just as hard on Monday and Tuesday to check to see how everyone made it through.
And then……..begins……..PIT Count 2026!
