Lauren Justice

Student at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

123 McCallie Avenue
Chattanooga, TN 37403

Mr. Andy Berke

Mayor of Chattanooga
City Government Office
100 E 11th Street #200
Chattanooga, TN 37403

March 10, 2017

Dear Mayor Berke,

I am writing to you to express my sincere concern for the poverty-

stricken citizens of this great city. I come to you with a solution to the
problem these people face with access to hygienic care and medical care.
The problem is, they do not have access to these things at all. Without the
basic human right to a healthy body these people are not getting off the
streets anytime soon, because in order to have a home you must have a job,
and to get a job is a hard task when you cannot bathe, shave, get a haircut,
or heal from a seasonal cold. Physical well-being is essential to a healthy life.
I believe that it will give the poverty-stricken citizens of Chattanooga
confidence if they could simply be clean and be able to obtain simple
DayQuil. Chattanooga has so many wonderful things to offer and is
economically sound. I propose a government funded building that holds
showers, a laundry facility, and a barber shop (for proper grooming), and a
nurse to help treat small illnesses such as a cold or allergies.
To properly asses the situation I have done research on the statistics of
those affected by poverty and/or homelessness in this area. All of my
research and obtained data are in the following pages. I know that as mayor
your concern lies within the people of your city, so I ask you to intently read
my proposal and remember your people in the streets. 8.9% of Tennessees
poverty levels lie in this city alone, and with this idea and help from you, I
believe we could cut that number in half.

With Gratitude.

Lauren Justice
Lauren Justice

Dr. McCarthy

ENGL 2880 Professional Writing

10 March 2017

Poverty in Chattanooga

Purpose
The purpose of this proposal is to draw attention to the dominant poverty
issue that reigns strongly over Chattanooga and propose a solution to the
problem.

Summary
Chattanooga, though economically successful, has massive amount of not-
so-fortunate citizens. There is a large percentage of Chattanooga citizens
who are at or below poverty level. These people lack basic use of hygienic
products, access to medicines and healthcare.

Introduction
Chattanooga is a southern city that has grown exponentially since a major
railroad track was built in 1891, which turned it into the manufacturing city
known today. Now it is powerful economically and holds many job
opportunities. It is a major city for education as it is home to major
institutions such as The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga,
Chattanooga State Community College, Tennessee Temple University, and a
branch of the University of Tennessee College of Medicine. It is also home to
3 major hospitals: Erlanger Hospital, Park Ridge Hospital, and Memorial
Hospital. All of these hospitals are also accompanied by many other health
care facilities such as urgent cares and pediatricians. Knowing this
information makes it nearly unbelievable that this city alone holds 8.9% of
the entire state of Tennessees poverty levels. In fact, the elevated
levels of poverty in Chattanooga are due in part to the economic growth that
has been occurring since the mid 1990s. The city grew too quickly for some
to catch up and sadly they were left behind without the good fortune of
others. The poorest among the citizens of Chattanooga lie within the
following categories: Females raising children without a husband, foreign-
born residents, those unemployed, and Black men. Clearly this strong
poverty level is a problem because this large population of poverty-stricken
citizens suffer from a lack of hygiene, lack of access to medical treatment,
lack of reliable shelter, and lack of a high quality of life overall. What we do
not know about the poor of Chattanooga is how they came to be in this
situation in the first place. How can we stop a problem before it starts if there
is no way to be sure of the problems origin? I believe to do so the first step
is bringing awareness to the severity of the situation. The strongest need of
the poverty-stricken is access to good hygiene and general health check-ups.

An excellent way to combat this problem is to implement a non-profit,

government funded facility that offers free showers, grooming services, and
nurses to give basic checkups and medicines when needed, all located in a
central part of the city easily accessible to all citizens. This will give the poor
and homeless a chance to present themselves in a manor that would help
them to get a job. It cannot be easy to ask a manager of a company for a job
when you have not had a shower in an extended period of time. Giving the
less-fortunate an opportunity to present themselves in a clean and healthy
manor will give them the confidence and appeal they need to get back on
their feet.

Proposed Plan of Work

To begin this project, I would first locate a usable building in the downtown
area of Chattanooga, as this is the most well known and easily accessible
area. First, I will select a contractor to help in the selection of a suitable
building for a project of this great size. Other hirings in this step would
include a plumber, electrician, and building inspector. All of these will aid in
making sure the chosen building meets all of my personal wants and
requirements and adheres to the codes of the city. This will also ensure the
safety of all who use this facility. Once the building has been closed on and is
acceptable for use, I would need to search for willing barbers, nurses, and
other workers to perform laundering services and cleaning of the facility.
These steps will ensure that the people who come to this place for a health
and hygiene boost are treated well by professionals and feel that they have a
safe place to come and clean up when in dire need.

Budget

Purchase of building Approx. $100,000

Renovations $5,000
Plumbing/ Electrical Installation $5,000
12 Employees $7.25/ hr
Appliances By community donation
Furnishings By community donation

Total Cost of Project: $110,000 + employee wages at $7.25 per hour

Annotated Bibliography

Chattanooga, Tennessee (TN) Poverty Rate Data. City Data, 8 March 2017,
http://www.city-data.com/poverty/poverty-Chattanooga-Tennessee.html.
This is a reliable source to find certain data on any city in the United States.
It has calculations of population data by area and can be used to conduct
research and to identify the needs of certain towns. The purpose of this
website is to educate and inform others of the different races, ethnicities,
wealth statuses, and crime statuses across the nation.

COA. Chattanooga: Towards a Poverty-Free Chattanooga. Organized for

Action, 9 March 2017, http://chattaction.org/towards-poverty-free-
chattanooga.
This website creates awareness and generates solutions about the critical
need to combat and reduce poverty in the Chattanooga area. It is the
informational website regarding the new campaign called Poverty- Free
Chattanooga. This website goes into detail about the great needs of our
citizens.

Grace, Audrey. Ten Ways to End Poverty. Borgen Magazine, 9 March 2017,
http://www.borgenmagazine.com/10-ways-end-poverty/.
In this article Grace addresses achievable ways to end poverty. These 10
ways cover tasks that ordinary people can complete as well as people with
more power. While this article addresses ending global poverty, the message
remains the same and is still relevant to the citizens of Chattanooga.

McClane, Joan Garrett. The poverty Puzzle. Chattanooga Times Free Press,
9 March 2017,
http://projects.timesfreepress.com/2016/03/povertypuzzle/index.html.
McClane makes it known that the city of Chattanoogas leaders are aware of
the poverty issue and are working towards making a change. She believes
that Chattanooga has actually found itself at a turning point and is in a place
where we can begin to assist our poverty-stricken citizens and create a
better life for them.