In my experience ARCH has taken from federal funds to expand an organization that was originally intended to help other agencies in NE Tenn. They accepted $500K in funds to help people but they only will accept 3 or 4 people a week in Johnson City and are currently closed due to "lack of funds." They are known to have close ties to Kingsport Housing with Board members being from Kingsport Housing which appears to be a conflict of interest since most of their services seem to go to Kingsport Housing.
ARCH has been a godsend to our area of Northeast TN. Before its inception, there was little consistent regional advocacy, and coordination of services for the homeless and others in need. Since coming on the scene, ARCH has been the catalyst behind bringing a diverse group of concerned individuals, community service providers, government agencies,area churches and schools, and others together, on a routine basis, to passionately and creatively address the needs of the homeless and others. To highlight: ARCH has provided leadership with identifying and a variety of complex problems related to homelessness, both at the local and regional level; ARCH personnel and volunteers have written and coordinated the writing of many new successful grant proposals. The funds from these grants have led to the creation of/and expansion of housing programs,and many community services for the homeless and others at risk; and, ARCH routinely coordinates HUD-mandated point-in-time count projects and makes the data collected available for use by member agencies. Our region benefits in so many ways from the efforts of ARCH.