(Today’s article is by guest writer, Sebastian Lambert. Originally from North Carolina, Sebastian has lived in Knoxville for two years with his wife and daughter. He works as a technology consultant for small and medium businesses in the area. I asked Sebastian to follow up on my nearly three-year-0ld article to see what is currently happening with Marti Baker and CareCuts.)
Most people who lived in Knoxville before the pandemic don’t realize the economic changes beyond just inflation. According to a report by the National Association of Realtors, the rental rates in Knoxville grew faster in 2022 than any other metro city in the country. The population surge drastically altered the housing market across the area. The average rent in January of 2022 was $1,549 and ballooned to $2,000 in June 2024. For local businesses in the area it means the average single employee working 40 hours a week needs $12/hour just to pay rent. Almost twice as much as the current federal minimum wage.
Many small businesses and franchises (which form the backbone of the economy) simply can’t increase wages fast enough to match the housing market. With such a dramatic shift in such a short period of time it’s easy to see why the recent increase in homelessness is most commonly associated with a lack of affordable housing. Those who are under-skilled, disabled, or undergoing rehabilitation into society are the most vulnerable to falling through the cracks in the world of the “new normal.” What we’re left with is a critical dilemma: what’s the best way to help people help themselves?
For downtown Knoxville the economic turmoil has created secondary effects within the community. After passing House Bill 0978 July 1, 2022, Tennessee became the first state where “camping” on public property is a punishable felony. These efforts have done little to stem the tide of homelessness and may have even exacerbated the problems. Areas like the I-40 bridge on Cooper Street persist as a hotbed for crime and pernicious activities as evidence against a purely legislative solution.
Local organizations often freely distribute supplies and resources directly to the homeless communities. While done with the best intentions, some feel the support inadvertently “finances” the continued vagrancy. The lack of accountability and tracking when distributing supplies can result in a “survival of the fittest” scenario where the strongest use the resources as leverage over the infirm. An added complication is that many of these organizations only provide services to the homeless who fall within the charity’s code of ethics.
Too often, the undocumented, shamefully prosecuted, or cognitively destitute have little hope of reintegration into society. Stuck between one-size fits all government intervention and granular non-profit ethics, the impoverished are sometimes abandoned to face a collision of worlds. Fortunately, CareCuts is here to help them face those challenges.
When Marti Baker collected her first knit-cap for charity in 2015 she had no idea she would go on to create one of the most successful charities in the city. In just a few years she’s taken CareCuts from providing haircuts to the homeless once a month to leading a small army of volunteers providing comprehensive reintegration services to those in need 4 days a week. What may look like a humble storage facility on the corner of Williams and Fifth has become “ground zero” in her efforts at reforming homelessness in downtown Knoxville.
The average homeless person is homeless for 182.5 days, we’re putting people in apartments in less than a month. We’re Knoxville’s best kept secret.
– Marti Baker
As soon as you step through the chain link fence into the facility you enter a bustling community of volunteers, first responders, and students all performing specialized services: Hairdressing, Food preparation, Queueing those in need of the Shower facilities, Mail delivery, Record management, Medical Aid, Clothing distribution, Registration assistance, Housing consultation, Telecommunications, Disability application aid, City transportation services, and HMIS tracking.
Coordination of resources available to those in need has been part of the problem. The most difficult part of reintegration services is accurately tracking what kinds of services are required by different individuals. One organization may provide medical services, another registration services, another housing applications. But what happens when a lost birth certificate delays the housing application process? There’s nowhere for the homeless to receive mail and then they get stuck in the same vicious cycle. It’s no one’s “fault” but the end result is still homelessness.
CareCuts centralizes these resources into one location and provides assistance at each stage of the reintegration process. They can see what medication and government aid is actually needed and act accordingly. According to Marti “We solve the distribution problem.”
Other organizations are now joining the CareCuts mission on-site. Remote Area Medical (RAM) is the main provider for vision, dental, and general medical care at no cost. Tennessee School of Beauty and the Master Barber Academy allow students to volunteer as part of their training. Keenan Grimes Community Outreach Center and People for People deliver food and other resources. South College and Choice Health regularly provide medical services. Every week an outpouring of volunteers gather to give back to the community. To date they’ve given over 13,000 haircuts and served 98,000 meals. Marti has the same reaction each time she sees those in need waiting to come in for help; “just a spectacular shot, unreal, every time I pull down that corner I just cry like a baby… tears of joy.” With so much success in just 8 years, it’s hard to believe she has even bigger plans for Care Cuts.
CareCuts is doing everything possible to get people off the streets – except for what they actually want most: To provide their own in-house temporary lodging. The current location has no residential grade spaces (or climate control). The shower facilities on the premises were kindly donated but are quickly being outgrown, along with the storage areas for clothing, food, and records management. Meals are prepared outside (even in the middle of summer and winter). Every square foot of available space is leveraged for efficiency. A dedicated facility would not only transform the degree of service they could provide, it would be a sustainable long-term solution for an incredibly valuable resource in our community.
CareCuts hopes to find a new facility that would become a homeless day center. Students in medical, hairdressing, and law enforcement schools could come regularly as part of their training which would further enrich the community. The correctional facilities would also use the site for community service contribution. City and County officials have been supportive in helping Care Cuts find a new location. It could be a great step forward in overcoming homelessness.
As you can imagine, financing is a huge hurdle in the application process. Right now, Care Cuts is in significant need of additional funding and support. If you would like to see changes in the downtown state of homelessness please consider contributing at this link. You can also share this post and help Care Cuts become “the worst kept secret” in Knoxville!