The Knoxville Knox County Planning Commission voted to approve a special-use permit on Jan. 8, 2026, allowing CareCuts, a faith-based nonprofit, to operate a daytime social service center at 5200 Clinton Highway.

Supporters, including property owner and CareCuts board member Mary Catherine Wormsley, described the proposal as a day center rather than a shelter and said the program is designed to connect people to IDs, housing referrals, mental-health and substance-use resources, haircuts, clothing and basic phone/computer access. "This is not a correct description of the operation of this faith based nonprofit. This is a day center that provides resources to help clients move forward from their current situation," Wormsley said during the hearing, adding CareCuts estimates serving 40–60 people on Tuesdays and Fridays and up to 80 on Sundays with a maximum of 28 people inside at any one time.

Opponents — including nearby businesses and residents who testified during an extended public comment period — urged denial on public-safety and traffic-safety grounds and said outreach to adjacent property owners was inadequate. "Placing a high volume resource center in close proximity to major public events without adequate security, behavioral health services and accountability measures shifts the burden onto the neighboring businesses, neighborhoods and everything," said Grama White of 5441 Clinton Highway.

Commissioners engaged in a lengthy policy debate about how the city's zoning code treats social service providers that primarily serve people transitioning from homelessness. Several commissioners questioned whether the ordinance's social-service-center definition, which explicitly lists people "transitioning from homelessness," effectively requires special-use review when services target that group. Commissioner Hill urged staff to review the definition and recommended considering whether some services should be permitted by right in appropriate commercial zones. Director Amy Brooks and a city law representative said the matter would be evaluated and placed on the department's workflow for follow-up.

Commissioner Overton moved to approve the special use "per staff recommendation," a motion that received multiple seconds and passed after an aye vote. The motion did not include a recorded roll-call tally in the transcript; the chair announced that "the ayes have it." Several commissioners who voted in favor supplied statements emphasizing both statutory review standards and moral reasons for approving needed services.

CareCuts' supporters emphasized the organization's decade of operation in other locations and said its model is intended to reduce, not increase, homelessness by helping clients obtain identification, housing placements and employment referrals. "CareCuts is ready, willing, and capable to put in the good work in this community," Wormsley said. Opponents remained concerned about parking, sidewalk access and potential spillover impacts on nearby commercial properties.

The commission also asked staff to examine the zoning definition and practical permitting implications for social service centers that serve people transitioning from homelessness and to return with recommendations. The department said it would evaluate the language and route it through its normal program workflow.

The commission approved the CareCuts special-use permit; the decision can be appealed to the city council, and staff follow-up on the zoning definition is expected to appear on an internal work plan for review.