Tiftarea Homeless Coalition announces plans for homeless shelter
Published 12:15 pm Tuesday, March 4, 2025
- The Tiftarea Homeless Coalition has brought several figures in the community together in support of providing aid to the area's homeless population. Front row, from left, are Pat McKinnon, United Way of South Central Georgia; Lynda Turner, Williams Hotel Group; Leila Dollsin, The Salvation Army; and Terry Bennett, The Bridge of Tiftarea/Tiftarea House of Hope. Second row, from left, are Jill McIntyre, Tift Regional Medical Center; Renee Cannady, Hope Dealers; and Tony McBrayer, Tift County Board of Commissioners. Back row are M. Jay Hall, City of Tifton Commissioner; Larry Lawrence, interim city manager, City of Tifton; Debra Cannon, The Salvation Army; and Tom Hocutt, Mell Baptist Association/Tift Area Ministerial Association and also chairman of the coalition. (Image courtesy of Tim Hocutt)
TIFTON — The Tiftarea Homeless Coalition has announced plans to construct a new homeless shelter to support the homeless of the community.
The organization is on the lookout for a facility in the Tiftarea to convert into a shelter capable of supporting the men, women, and families of the area who are currently homeless, both in providing them a roof over their heads and helping them get back on their feet.
Formed in October 2023, the coalition has been working to serve and support the community’s homeless population, and is backed by several prominent organizations and nonprofits from the Tiftarea through its representing members, including the City of Tifton, the Tift County Schools Board of Education, the Tift County government, Williams Hotel Group, and United Way of South Central Georgia.
Tim Hocutt, chair of the coalition, stated that the shelter is intended to serve as a complementary facility to the community’s existing shelters, Brother Charlie’s and Tiftarea House of Hope, who serve only men and women, respectively, and are limited by restraints in their capacity and the reach of their programs.
“We don’t want to be in competition with them, but we feel like the need is here in Tifton to sustain another homeless shelter,” Hocutt said.
The facility is planned to be equipped with 50 beds, divided into sections for women, men, and families, a day center for their patrons to wash clothes, shower, use a computer, or get a hot meal, a clothes closet and food pantry for supplying the members of the community’s homeless population as needed, and case managers on staff to help the facility’s patrons find a job, secure whatever documentation they might need, and acquire a stable living situation within 90 days.
Additionally, Hocutt hoped to be able to partner with local churches in the community to conduct Bible studies or organize other support programs and activities.
He reported that the coalition was still raising funds and seeking a location for the shelter to be developed, stating that the goal was to secure a 10,000-square-foot facility to have ample room for their patrons and the utilities they would need to support them. However, he was confident that whatever location they could acquire could be easily outfitted to suit their needs, and could be up and running within half a year.
For more information on the Tiftarea Homeless Coalition, contact Tom Hocutt at (229) 733-8911 or thoucutt@gmail.com.