Learn about services for homless families
Cassidy Whalen grew up with Tennessee Outreach Center for Homelessness’s help beginning at age 8, and now she’s the communications director and is ready to tell her story.
The TORCH luncheon will be on Thursday (May 1) at 11:30 a.m. at the First Baptist Church Family Life Center, 225 North Main St. in Clinton.
Whalen will talk about how her life changed from her time as an elementary school student with a family assisted by TORCH and how she feels about being a member of the TORCH staff today.
Executive Director Andy O’Quinn will also give a broader overview of the organization’s current work. Panera will provide the food
TORCH works to end homelessness in Anderson County.
One of its programs involves collaborating with schools to give students’ families temporary shelter.
Sheila Michael, founder and board president, told The Courier News the organization currently has nine one-family temporary shelters in Oak Ridge, but students at schools in Clinton and Anderson County stay in hotels.
The idea is to let families have a place to stay while they get on better tracks financially.
“We have an agency motto: No child sleeps outside,” said Michael. “I believe everyone has the right to a safe home, and it’s possible for that to happen.
“If children get out of homelessness, then they have a much greater chance of not being homeless in the future,” she said.
She said her organization is losing funding from the federal government through the state, but it welcomes donations, which can be made through givebutter.com/nAJvFs.
