Referral Process & Guidelines

Overview of The Restoration House

It is important to understand a few things about The Restoration House (TRH) before making a referral.

The Restoration House is an 18-24 month supportive transitional housing program for low-income single mothers and their children, involving team mentors for each family and strategic planning. TRH is designed to operate as a final step to permanent housing for single mother families as they develop increased self sufficiency.

The Restoration House is not…

  • permanent housing
  • an emergency shelter
  • short-term transitional housing
  • a drug or alcohol rehab center
  • a domestic violence shelter (though we do take women who have come from domestic violence)
  • a mental health provider

TRH will refer families who do not meet the program criteria, out to other organizations that may better suit their needs.

Qualifications for Participating Families

Potential participants must…

  • be 18 years or older to be considered for the program (there are several existing organizations who work specifically with teenage mothers)
  • have full-custody of one to four children living in the home and/or be pregnant. Adult children over 18 years of age will not be considered as part of the family unit
  • have a need for transitional housing either due to homelessness or inadequate housing
  • have achieved at least 12 months sobriety from alcohol and chemical addictions prior to applying to the program, unless referred directly from an in-house rehabilitation program, in which six months sobriety is sufficient
  • have a GED or high-school diploma at the time of approval
  • show promise of gaining financial self-sufficiency through transitional housing, mentoring, service planning
  • be ready and willing to establish meaningful and honest relationships with mentors
  • demonstrate a desire to change negative life patterns and choices contributing to their life situation
  • show promise of sufficient emotional well-being to maintain a stable environment for their family
  • have a low-income, defined as families whose incomes do not exceed 80 percent of the median family income for the area

Preference will be given to those families with very low and extremely low incomes.

MSA: Knoxville, TN
Number of Persons Low Income Very Low Income Extremely Low
1 $30,700 $19,200 $11,500
2 $35,100 $21,900 $13,150
3 $39,450 $24,650 $14,800
4 $43,850 $27,400 $16,450
5 $47,350 $29,600 $17,750
6 $50,850 $31,800 $19,100
7 $54,350 $34,000 $20,400
8 $57,900 $36,150 $21,700

Referral Process

  1. A referral for the potential participating family must come from an existing organization; such as a church, social service provider, government agency, or nonprofit. TRH does not accept referrals from individuals although an individual can initiate the referral process.
  2. It is highly preferred that the referring entity have some prior experience with the potential participating family. The reason we ask this is we need to understand the desire of the mother to work toward change.
  3. All referrals must be made directly by a representative of the referring organization; not by the single mother. Please do not send potential participating families directly to The Restoration House without first making a referral.
  4. Referrals can be made through several different mediums…
    • Online: Click here to use our online form.  This is the preferred option.
    • Phone: 865-332-5399 (9 AM – 5 PM Monday – Friday)
    • Email: Click Referral Form to download the referral form and email to: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
  5. Please provide as much of the necessary information as possible for the referral using the online form or the downloadable form.

Potential Participating Family Application Process

  1. The referral is made
  2. Initial review of referral information followed by a phone call to the single mother
  3. Application is returned
  4. Reference check
  5. Assessment interview
  6. Criminal background check, credit check
  7. Acceptance or Denial
  8. Move-in or Permission to Appeal

* The application process takes one to two weeks depending on the mother's availbility to return the parts of the application promptly