Grace House celebrates facility additions, ongoing service to Kingsport

KINGSPORT — "I wonder where the homeless are sleeping tonight?" That's what the late, then 100-year-old Josephine "Jo" Morrison said to her friend Betsy Preston during a winter storm, which became the start of the Kingsport Homeless Ministry and eventually Grace House. Located in the 700 block of East Sullivan Street, Grace House started serving community members experiencing homelessness in late 2024. The facility has expanded its outdoor area to include a pavilion, garden beds, break area and basketball goals. Grace House supporters, board members and community leaders gathered Saturday to celebrate the work of the ministry and how it has impacted the community thus far. Mike Lattier, Grace House board chair, explained how Morrison's question led to where they are today. Morrison served on the board until she was 105 years old and died in April 2022. "Grace House is not just about showing grace to the homeless, but it's about getting the homeless out of their homeless situation, and that's true grace," Lattier said. "We don't believe in handouts, we believe in a hand up, because true grace is getting the homeless out of their situation that they're in." Lattier said the Grace House facility was built through countless hours of volunteer work. He recognized those who have long played a role in the ministry's work, including past and present board members, as well as the James and Laura Rogers Foundation. He said Morrison left behind bequeathed financial contributions to help continue Grace House's legacy even after her death. Kingsport Mayor Paul Montgomery presented honorary J. Fred Johnson coins Don Royston and Preston during the celebration event. Both Royston and Preston are longtime contributors to Grace House and the Kingsport Homeless Ministry. "I tell you, this has been a labor of love here, and I've had the experience of being involved with the board, then I was off the board, now as advisor on the board," the mayor said. "I will tell you the men and women on this board have done well, and this evidence today of what we see here shows you what people can do when putting themselves together, working together." Josh Smith, a longtime local news anchor and prominent community advocate in the Tri-Cities, served as the keynote speaker. He talked about interviewing Morrison before her passing and how she served the community so fiercely. "[Jo] never stopped dreaming," Smith said. "She never stopped listening for that still, small voice in the roar and the clamor of life's storm, and she never gave up hope." Smith encouraged those in attendance to ask "What would Jo do?" and to continue to live in the same way Jo did to honor Grace House and its mission. "May we all keep dreaming big," he said. "May this place be a place where the nightmares are forgotten and new and wonderful dreams are born, where hope is discovered and God's grace is proclaimed every day." By the numbers Mark Haga, Grace House executive director, said the facility offers case management and connections to housing, employment and other resources to get residents back on their feet. In 2025, Haga said the low-barrier shelter saw 5,704 overnight stays — with 4,295 of those stays being men and 1,459 being women. Last year, he said there was an average of 16 people per night. On the day center side, Grace House led 4,619 service interactions. The first quarter of 2026 has had, to date, 1,631 overnight shelter stays and 1,044 day center interactions. According to Haga, this year's average number of stays has increased to 18 people. Appalachian Miles for Smiles Registered Dental Assistant Amanda Everett shared the clinic side of things, as the clinic operates right next door to Grace House and sees many of the community members who stay at the shelter. "It's a huge blessing every time we open our doors, every morning, we get to see our family, our friends come down and see us that have been staying here," Everett said. "We build those relationships together. We've taken care of a multitude of them." She said this past January marked a year since opening the brick-and-mortar location, which has allowed them to expand their offered services with root canals, crowns and fillings. The dental clinic sees anywhere from 30 to 50 patients in a day, Tuesday through Friday. "We do cleanings, x-rays, we do restorative, we even do dentures," Everett said. "We spend a lot of time with our patients from beginning to end, and we tell everyone of them before they come in, it's a journey from beginning to end, and to see them walk out and be able to regain that smile and that confidence." Since being founded in 2016, Everett said Appalachian Miles for Smiles has performed $7.5 million in care, and done 26,287 extractions, 2,980 fillings, 5,302 cleanings and given out 395 sets of dentures. Services are provided at no cost to uninsured and underinsured residents of East Tennessee and Southwest Virginia. Dental students from Lincoln Memorial University spend four-week rotations learning and working at the clinic in downtown Kingsport. For more information about Grace House and the Kingsport Homeless Ministry, visit https://www.kpthm.org/.