KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — More than half of all homeless people in Knoxville said they either could not find affordable housing or were evicted from previous housing, according to the city's latest data on homelessness.
In the second quarter of 2024, KnoxHMIS said around 42% of homeless people said they could not find affordable housing. Another 21% said they became homeless after being evicted from their homes — an 8% increase compared to last year.
The latest data said the median amount of time people spend being unhoused in the Knoxville area was 173 days. It also said 736 people were homeless for the first time in the second quarter of 2024.
"You want to know what it's like? Go out at 10 p.m. tonight, close your door and lock it and throw the key in the garbage. You'll never get back in. That's what it's like to be homeless," said Kenny Wade, who said he was homeless for around five years. "I never realized, until I was homeless what I had — until I lost it all."
He said he lost his home when he was laid off from his job. His yearly income dropped from around $75,000 per year to around $9,000 per year, he said. KnoxHMIS data also showed a lack or loss of employment was responsible for around 9% of homelessness in the Knoxville area.
"Homelessness could really happen to any of us. If we lost our jobs, if we were evicted from our housing, we could become homeless," said Erin Read, from the Knoxville-Knox County Office of Housing Stability. "The scope of people who become homeless is just really staggering, and many of them, when you get down to it, are really just like you and me."
KnoxHMIS said around 1,900 people use homelessness services in the Knoxville area — an increase of around 100 people compared to the previous quarter. Wade said he lives on a fixed income of around $900 per month, and splits his $1,200 per month rent with his father.
"You take a one-bedroom 10 years ago, you could get one for $600 per month. Now, a one-bedroom is $1,300, $1,250, sometimes even $1,400. It's not worth it. It's just skyrocketing," said Wade.
He said he is proud to now have a roof over his head.
Both he and Knoxville leaders said they believe a lack of housing that people can afford is the leading cause of homelessness in the area.
"Local government is painfully aware of the mismatch that we have in our housing market, between wages and cost of housing," said Read.