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The Southeast Tennessee Human Resource Agency Will Break Ground on Future Home
 2/19/2009CHATTANOOGA, TENN. -- The Southeast Tennessee Human Resource Agency (SETHRA) will celebrate the groundbreaking of their new facility in Chattanooga Monday, Feb. 23 at 10:30 a.m. – achieving the long-term goal of providing seamless transportation for all residents in Southeast Tennessee. Located at 12th and Baldwin Street, the Chattanooga facility will house the SETHRA Hamilton County Transportation Department and serve as a Region Transit and Training Center. With the new center, SETHRA will provide transportation options for all residents wishing to travel anywhere within the region. In addition, the facility will serve as a driver training facility, a vehicle staging area, a transfer hub and a light bus maintenance shop. “SETHRA answers the daily demand for transportation services to clients of the regional rural areas into and out of Chattanooga to provide access to critical services,” said Ray Evans, SETHRA Executive Director. “These services include medical appointments, dialysis, physical therapy, and veterans and social services – even some employment opportunities.” “What SETHRA is providing is a door-to-door service for people in need,” said Chattanooga Mayor Ron Littlefield. “When you’re able to transport people to and from their homes, it’s a better utilization of public and private resources devoted to special needs passengers locally and beyond.” SETHRA is the regional, public transportation provider for the nine rural counties of Southeast Tennessee and non-urbanized areas of Hamilton County. The Hamilton County division provides transportation in Chattanooga to health and human service agencies on a contract-only basis. In an effort to increase accessibility to public transportation resources within Chattanooga, SETHRA is developing daily scheduled trips from outlying areas into Chattanooga. “We also are interested in adding value and efficiencies to our Hamilton County division housed in Chattanooga,” Evans added. “This increase in fixed routes and service efficiency will require expansion within the Chattanooga area.” The mission of SETHRA is accomplished through a variety of funding sources. In the 2008 agency-wide performance report, SETHRA offered food, rental assistance, utility assistance, pharmaceutical assistance, homemaker and personal care services, minor home modifications, transportation, weatherization, and representative payee services to approximately 6,300 unduplicated individuals. The effectiveness of the agency has resulted in considerable partnerships within each community with other nonprofit agencies, faith-based organizations, the local Area Agency on Aging and Disability, the Department of Human Services, and local utility providers. SETHRA was organized in 1973 as a nonprofit organization under the Human Resource Act of 1973, as amended. SETHRA operates in Bledsoe, Bradley, Grundy, Hamilton, Marion, McMinn, Meigs, Polk, Rhea, and Sequatchie Counties. It is the mission of SETHRA to empower families, moving them from dependence to independence, by providing comprehensive services in collaboration with local, state and federal resources. ### |
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