“Who has trouble asking for help?”
A few dozen hands darted up after Adrienne Koon, director of development for Chattanooga Room in the Inn (www.chattanoogaroomintheinn.com), asked a room of Realtors how they felt about asking for assistance in dire circumstances.
Koon floated this question during her presentation at the local Women’s Council of Realtors (www.wcr.org) monthly networking luncheon Wednesday at the Walden Club. To break the ice, she said she herself has been in a situation in which she was one problem away from needing help.
“I’ve been in a place where car trouble would have been it for me,” she said candidly.
Having set the table for her talk, Koon then drew a picture of a shelter for women and children that refers to the people it helps not as “clients” or “the unhoused” but as “guests.”
“We help our guests rebuild their lives by providing transitional housing, support and hope,” Koon said of Room in the Inn. “We want every woman and child in our community to have a safe place to call home and the resources to maintain it.”
To this end, Room in the Inn operates a six-month residential program that can accommodate 11 adult women and 24 children. Once sheltered, guests participate in courses that help them to achieve balance in five areas: health, housing, finances, family and career.
“A guest will be more likely to succeed once they graduate from our program if they’ve achieved balance in these five areas,” Koon explained.
Women spend their time at Room in the Inn developing in these areas while the shelter meets their essential needs. (Residents must be employed during this time, Koon noted.) After graduating from the program, Room in the Inn staff remain in contact with their former guests for one year to ensure they remain stable.
“Our aftercare program has a success rate of 100% because we’ve been able to intervene before anything is off balance,” Koon reported. “We have the resources to help when that’s needed.”
To help Room in the Inn continue to fulfill its mission, the Chattanooga chapter of the Women’s Council of Realtors will be hosting a fundraiser dubbed “Bourbon, Bubbles & Bingo” Thursday, April 24 at Chattanooga Whiskey Event Hall beginning at 6:30 p.m.
Tickets are available at tinyurl.com/hchbbb and will include dinner, drinks and bingo cards.
Women’s Council president Diana Johnson encouraged everyone to attend and bring a friend.
“It’s going to be country versus country club, so you can bring your boots or your high heels,” she announced.
In closing, Koon thanked the members of the Women’s Council for partnering with Room in the Inn to help to curb the cycle of homelessness in Chattanooga.
“Think about how difficult it is for you to ask for help, and then think about the women who don’t have any other option. It’s very difficult for them, too, but Room in the Inn is there to welcome them and get them to a place where they can thrive instead of survive.”