The Cookeville-Putnam County Chamber of Commerce will examine the issues of homelessness and substance abuse during a special meeting Thursday.
Chamber Director of Membership Karlyn Reel said after having discussions with community members and business leaders, the chamber has learned that homelessness and substance abuse are impacting local businesses, churches, and non-profits. Reel said the program is a platform for leaders to tell the truth about the impact of homelessness and substance abuse in our community.
“Whether it’s substance abuse, whether it’s homelessness, and then also the recovery, so what are the resources?” Reel said. “So what do people really want to know first-hand, straight from the source, not maybe what they see on Facebook, or what they read, you know, whatever, but to really hear it first-hand.”
Reel said local businesses deal with homelessness and substance abuse daily. Reel said the program will teach business leaders how to provide resources to employees who are experiencing homelessness or substance abuse.
“Businesses are also dealing with it, with customers,” Reel said. “So, you know, giving businesses and giving employees the resources on how to, if they are encountering somebody in their business, who can they call? What are the resources? How can they most safely deal with whatever might walk in their door? Whether it is a customer, or a guest, a community member, or an employee.”
Reel said the chamber has seen an uptick in homelessness and substance abuse in the community. However, Reel said those who attend the luncheon will see that our community has several resources to help those in the community who may be struggling with homelessness and substance abuse.
“Something that we have seen through just having this conversation, providing this event, is how many resources and how many incredible organizations there are in our community that are working together to try to find solutions and to try and find resources. So we will not only have our keynote speakers, but we’ve also had numerous other non-profits, numerous other churches reach out and say Hey, how can we be involved? Hey, we want to be a part of this, and we want to support. So, it has been encouraging to see the incredible community that we have here and their willingness and what they are already doing to provide resources.”
Those interested in attending the luncheon can register online at the Cookeville-Putnam County Chamber of Commerce’s website. Tickets to attend are $20 for chamber members and $25 for non-chamber members. The luncheon will start at 11am on Thursday, August 7, and will be located at the Leslie Town Centre.
