THE NEED

The Cheatham County Homeless Coalition wants to inform the community about what homelessness in our county looks like, how people can help locally, and where people in need can seek assistance in our region.

Homelessness starts with a housing crisis when people are unable to pay for basic necessities and struggle to pay for their housing. Our coalition is a loose network of service providers, faith-based communities, government agencies, civic groups, and businesses that help people who experience such a crisis. Participating providers may assist with rent payments, food, health care, medication, transportation, child care, mental health, legal aid, economic and workforce development, education, etc.

We invite all stakeholders who help individuals and families unable to pay for their basic household needs to sign up as members of the Cheatham County Homeless Coalition network. Our member organizations generally do not wait until people have lost their housing. They work to prevent homelessness by providing support services that help people work toward stability and move out of crisis situations, which could lead to homelessness if not addressed immediately. Membership is free and we offer to list your logo on our membership page.

To become a member, simply sign up for our networking email list and attend our quarterly meetings as you are available. To join, please email your information and your logo to CheathamHomelessCoalition@gmail.com.

Homelessness in Cheatham County

The Cheatham County Homeless Coalition focuses on supporting each of its members' mission and learning from each other through our quarterly meetings.

Currently, we are working on a resource document that we share with 2-1-1 to ensure our members know what type of services are available for Cheatham County residents to prevent and end homelessness and how to make appropriate referrals.

One of our goals is to improve our common understanding of what housing insecurity and homelessness look like in Cheatham County. We know that during the school year, at least 100 students meet the federal McKinney-Vento definition of homelessness at one point throughout the year.

The McKinney-Vento Act defines homelessness as individuals who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence.

Definitions of Homelessness

Homelessness describes the situation of an individual, family or community without stable, safe, permanent, appropriate housing, or the immediate prospect, means and ability to acquire it. It is the result of systemic or societal barriers, a lack of affordable and appropriate housing, the individual/household’s financial, mental, cognitive, behavioral, or physical challenges, and/or racism and discrimination. Most people do not choose to be homeless, and the experience is generally negative, unpleasant, unhealthy, unsafe, stressful, and distressing.

There are two federal definitions of homelessness.

The more common definition is used by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and is divided into four categories of homelessness:

1. Literally homeless;

2. Imminent risk of homelessness;

3. Homeless under other federal statutes; and

4. Fleeing or Attempting to flee Domestic Violence.

The second definition is broader and is generally used by education and health departments. It includes the categories outlined by HUD's homelessness definitions but adds families who are living in motels, in doubled-up situations due to hardship and youth who are couchsurfing.