Howard High Seniors Help Chattanooga’s Homeless
"The biggest thing I learned is how many people get ignored by this and why people don’t pay attention to this."
Chattanooga’s homeless population has been growing in recent years and now has more than 300 members.
Teshayla’s teachers believe her senior project can have impact other students as well as the Scenic City’s homeless community.
Donna Taheri, Howard High School Teacher,"Just an opportunity to delve deeper into a topic that they may not know a lot about but they have an interest, the idea is to give them a chance to do research and to really understand the importance of networking."
Last year alone more than 2000 members of the homeless community died on the streets, many due to hypothermia.
These new customized sleeping bags can be worn as jackets and carried as a bag pack.
They were first used in Chattanooga at a Brainerd homeless camp during freezing temperatures in November of 2014.
Jimmy Turner of Relevant Hope says he’s surprised that teenagers are getting involved with Chattanooga’s homeless but welcomes the next generation’s support.
"The empowerment plan has already sent us another 50 coats and we are dispersing those into the community right now and Teshayla is helping to save lives before she even finishes her project," says Jimmy Turner.
Thinkprogress.org estimates more than 150,000 Americans sleep rough on a nightly basis.
If you want to get involved with Teshayla’s project or help Chattanooga’s homeless, links are below.
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