As Kendra, program manager for the Homemaker Program, walks through the doors of a new client’s home, she never knows what she will find.
“I have seen it all, from caved-in floors to houses that just need some tidying up,” Kendra says. “What is important is for the client to feel taken care of. From there, we can manage whatever life has thrown at them.”
Partnership receives Homemaker referrals through Adult Protective Services (APS) across 10 counties in Tennessee and provides practical, hands-on help to older and disabled adults who are struggling to remain safely housed.
That role has never been more crucial. Across the country, experts are sounding the alarm on a “silver tsunami,” the rising wave of Baby Boomers. Many lack the resources, mobility, or health to manage the responsibilities of daily living. Without support like the Homemaker Program, many would fall into homelessness.
“…our elderly are the fastest growing demographic of homelessness in our community.”
“The truth is, our elderly are the fastest growing demographic of homelessness in our community,” says Partnership CEO, Kevin Hyde. “This fact makes it understandable why ‘elderly homeless women’ are among the fastest growing demographics for our Rape Crisis Center.”
While Partnership’s Rape Crisis Center is always here for survivors, our deepest commitment is to prevention. Every Homemaker visit helps keep one more individual safe at home, and away from the risks that come with homelessness.
“In Chattanooga alone, the housing stock for one-bed/one-bath units is so low, we’re over 16,000 units short,” explains Kendra.
Kendra’s team is working at full capacity, making more than 110 visits each month. Each visit lasts two to two-and-a-half hours, and each one looks different: grocery shopping for a client with mobility issues, coordinating home foundation repair, or advocating on behalf of a client to ensure they are not unfairly displaced.
“If not for services like ours, then what?” Kendra asks. “If we weren’t here, many of these people would be homeless. Without this preventive work, our community would need to lean more heavily on reactive services like emergency shelters and homeless services, which are costlier and leave more chances for seniors to slip through the cracks.”
