Date: April 10, 2017

To: Mr. Andy Berke

Mayor of Chattanooga

From: Lauren Justice

Student at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

Subject: Recommendation Memo for the Implementation of a Hygienic Care Center for
Poverty- Stricken Residents of Chattanooga

Attached is my report concerning my research for Creating a Health and Hygiene Resource for
the Poverty Stricken Residents of Chattanooga: A Recommendation Report. We, my team and
I, have completed the tasks and overcome the challenges I described in the proposal send in on
March 10, 2017: finding an appropriate property, contacting an interior designer to adjust the
space to our needs, and assembling a staff to run this place.

To carry out these tasks, we began by signing for a property downtown on Broad Street, in the
perfect central location. We assessed the interior of the building and had it inspected so that
we can take care if any possible issues before the interior designer begins his work. As for
assembling a staff, advertisements were put in the local classifieds and on UTCs newsletters so
that we could reach a wide variety of people and broaden our outlook. We also conducted a
survey by asking people on the streets what they feel in need of and do not have access to, and
the majority responded by saying they wanted access to hygienic resources and healthcare.

Our main findings are that the number of poverty-stricken citizens is rising rapidly in this area
and when we questioned random people, most were highly interested in what we are trying to
construct. This is such an important part of basic human rights that no person should have to go
without. The main idea behind this project is that everyone deserves a shower, clean clothes,
and something as simple as cough drops for a common cold.

We recommend establishing this center as a not-for-profit resource that is open to all citizens
of Chattanooga in need of this type of care. Simply put, this is a case of basic human rights
taken from a person because of life circumstances and these people need to be able to feel
confident in themselves and be healthy.
Letter to Mr. Andy Berk, Mayor of Chattanooga
April 10, 2016
Page 2

I am truly appreciative to be a part of this wonderful cause and I look forward to working with
you on any follow-up activities. If you have questions, comments, or concerns, do contact me.
Lauren Justice, at abc123@mocs.utc.edu or my cell phone at (123)456-7890.
Creating a Health and Hygiene Resource for the Poverty
Stricken Residents of Chattanooga: A Recommendation
Report

Prepared for: Mr. Andy Berk

Mayor of Chattanooga
Prepared by: Lauren Justice
Student at The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

April 10, 2017

City Government Office

100 E 11th Street #200
Chattanooga, TN 37403
Executive Summary
Poverty in Chattanooga is an issue that must be resolved sooner rather than later. My team and
myself have put in work in order to ensure that the final product is a welcoming safe place for
all in-need citizens of Chattanooga. It is our hope that ultimately this resource will be used daily
by multiple people and that hopefully with clean clothes and a well taken care of body they will
gain the confidence to search for a job somewhere and get back on their feet.

We did face challenges along the way but we now have a building and it is in the process of
being remodeled in order to accommodate all of the amenities will we be implementing soon.
Construction is underway and we have a 6-month plan to complete everything.

The results of the work showed that this center is completely necessary. The poverty-stricken
citizens themselves have spoken that they not only would enjoy this space but believe it would
be beneficial to their overall mental and physical well-being. This is such an important part of
basic human rights that no person should be forced to go without. The main idea behind this
project is that everyone deserves a shower, clean clothes, and something as simple as common
cold relief or a first-aid kit, even when they are at a point win their life when they cannot afford
it on their own.
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 moderate 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.

Research Methods
We began our research by defining the problem. It had to be addressed that far too many
people are found on the streets and without access to Hygiene, because this means that these
people are at a much higher risk for sickness and infections. We believe that just because
someone is less fortunate than another, they should not lose the opportunity and basic right to
a clean body.
To perform the needed analysis, I broke down the project into the following tasks:
1. Research the need in the community
2. Gather support and build a team
3. Conduct surveys
4. Analyze data
5. Gain location, employees, and materials
In the following discussion of how we performed each task, we explain the reasoning that
guided our research.

Task 1. Research Need in the Community

In order to solve a problem, it must first be identified. Walking through the streets of
Chattanooga it isnt hard to see a person in need around just about every corner. The visual
aspect of this made me want to look up the statistics and begin to devise a plan to combat the
problem. I used the resources I found on the internet to dig deeper into the matter. Primarily I
visited websites that used numbers to show the actual statistics of people in poverty in
Chattanooga. This information revealed the categories of people in divisions of race, age, and
gender.
Task 2: Gather Support and Build a Team
At this point I was very serious about putting an end to the sadness I see everyday. So, I put out
a request to have an email sent to all UTC students to seek their involvement in my project. I
asked for those interested in helping with the planning of the project and those who were
seeking employment in the fields of medicine distribution, the barber shop/ salon. In the email
sent out I expressed my personal concerns as well as the practical benefits this center would
provide.

Task 3: Conduct Surveys

The surveys conducted were distributed in a few different areas; 100 random UTC students, 50
people seen on the street, and 25 business owners. I feel as though those were numbers easy
to access because I am constantly on campus so the 100 students were feasible, it took
approximately a week to talk to people on the street, and business owners I found through
connections of friends and family.
Before sending the survey out I did test it out among colleagues.

Task 4: Analyze Data

The results showed that most people thought the idea would bring those who have suffered
from poverty closer to a new and healthier life. The data brought us to the understanding that
most sufferers of poverty would love to have a safe place to shower and wash their clothes.

Task 5: Gain Location, Employees, and Materials

In an effort to find people who believed in my cause I emailed the student body of UTC stating
my purpose and used persuasive language to get people to agree with and understand my
cause.
Results
In this section, we present the results of our research. For each of the tasks we carried out, we
present the most important data we acquired.

Task 1: Research Need in the Community

After reading journals and news reports concerning the wealth across the city of Chattanooga
we learned that the poorest among the citizens of Chattanooga lie within the following
categories: Females raising children without a partner, foreign-born residents, those
unemployed, and Black men. Also, 8.9% of the entire state of Tennessees poverty levels are
from the greater Chattanooga area.

Task 2: Gather Support and Build a Team

Forming these connections was made possible through use of social media marketing and
networking. When asked about their personal concern for the less-fortunate, most said they
would be interested in making this a priority. In this process, however, I learned people have
some negative opinions on the project as well. Some think that this would be a waste of tax-
payers money, but I think helping others is what my team and I believe is the best place to put
your money.

Task 3: Conduct Surveys

I found that most students responded to my requests via email more so than social media. The
surveys showed that most people believe the poor deserve the opportunity to be clean and
healthy. I found that most people care about the problem but have never seen an opportunity
to do anything about it like this development will.

Task 4: Analyze Data

The data showed us the rising numbers of those suffering from poverty in Chattanooga and that
they are not seeming to stabilize at any rate. Most of the data showed that race and gender
play a role in economic success in life.
Task 5: Gain Location, Employees, and Materials
This task forced me to seek opportunity outside of my comfort zone and it showed me a lot
about people. I realized that building owners are a lot less likely to sell their property if it is
going to be used for a good cause rather than as a shopping center or something more
mainstream and popular. The employees were willing to work because for most it would count
as an internship for their major. Materials were found by the interior designer hired and paid
for using the budget created in my previous memo.

Conclusions
In this section we present our conclusions based on our research.
It has been concluded that the building will be a positive asset to our community and will
benefit the lives of those who take advantage of it.
References
Chattanooga, Tennessee (TN) Poverty Rate Data. City Data, 8 March 2017, http://www.city-
data.com/poverty/poverty-Chattanooga-Tennessee.html.

COA. Chattanooga: Towards a Poverty-Free Chattanooga. Organized for Action, 9 March

2017, http://chattaction.org/towards-poverty-free-chattanooga.

Grace, Audrey. Ten Ways to End Poverty. Borgen Magazine, 9 March 2017,
http://www.borgenmagazine.com/10-ways-end-poverty/.

McClane, Joan Garrett. The poverty Puzzle. Chattanooga Times Free Press, 9 March 2017,
http://projects.timesfreepress.com/2016/03/povertypuzzle/index.html.