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Graduate gets job with Anderson County non-profit that helped her escape child homelessness

Cassidy Whalen does community outreach for Tennessee Out-Reach Center for Homelessness in Oak Ridge, a non-profit dedicated to getting people off the streets.

ANDERSON COUNTY, Tenn. — About 12% of people in Anderson County are homeless, according to United Way of Anderson County.

That percentage includes children.

Cassidy Whalen was homeless in Anderson County at just 8 years old before she found a better home through the Tennessee Out-Reach Center for Homelessness in Oak Ridge.

“You're definitely filled with a lot of panic, and don’t know what's going to happen next,” Whalen said. “Things like seeing your parents get arrested right in front of you.”

TORCH said there are about 80 other children in Oak Ridge City Schools that don’t have a permanent place to call home.

Sheila Michel founded TORCH in 2012 to help families get into temporary housing to find permanent solutions—instead of spending the night in their cars, in an abandoned building or in a camp.

Michel said homelessness affects more working-class people than you think.

“They're people who serve you coffee in a restaurant, hand you a burger through the drive-through window,” Michel added. “They are working the cash register at your grocery store or standing behind you in line. Their child is sitting next to your child in a classroom.”

TORCH helped 8-year-old Whalen find a place to call home. Now, the recent high school graduate does client outreach and helps people in similar situations get food and temporary housing.

Whalen works for TORCH part-time through United Way of Anderson County’s Career Pathways focus, which helps students bridge the gap between high school graduation and the professional world.

TORCH offers rapid rehousing programs and temporary food assistance for the homeless community in Anderson County.

Referrals and applications can be found on their website, or by calling 865-318-4788.

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