NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Mayor John Cooper and other Nashville leaders held a groundbreaking ceremony for the city’s first permanent supportive housing center for the homeless.
The new facility will be at the site of the former Metro jail building in the downtown area. The last part of the former jail structure was removed over the last few months.
This permanent supportive housing center will offer centralized housing and supportive services for the unhoused, and many other amenities, including:
- 5 floors
- 90 residential units
- Office space for caseworkers
- Onsite clinic
- Mailroom
- Bicycle storage
- Computer room
- Laundry room
- Views of the Cumberland River
“I would live that to death,” said David Metlock, who is homeless. “If you don’t know computers, you don’t get a job.”
Metlock, an Army veteran who was stationed in Germany, is one of 600 people who live outdoors in the Nashville area.
“I wish they’d left me there, I really do,” Metlock said. “Even with my (retirement) check, it’s not enough. It’s actually killing me.”
Metlock would qualify for one of the 90 rooms in Nashville’s first permanent homeless housing buildings that city leaders broke ground on.
The $25 million development is part of Nashville’s renewed approach to addressing homelessness through a “Housing First” model, the city said.
Cooper released a statement on the project in a news release.
“The suffering happening every day on our streets is tragic and unacceptable, and it’s long past time Nashville step up and make meaningful progress on getting our unhoused neighbors back on their feet. This 90-unit supportive permanent housing development is a huge step forward in making Nashville a housing-first city, where we have the resources available to get every individual the help they need – from treatment for substance abuse and mental illness, to continued support for people struggling with long-term medical challenges and illness. That’s why I’ve proposed a $50 million investment in funds from the American Rescue Plan to build more permanent supportive units like these and begin implementing real solutions that can help change lives.”
As of January 2022:
- Around 1,900 people are experiencing homelessness in Nashville
- More than 600 live outdoors
- Around 500 are chronically homeless
This also comes just about a month before a law goes into effect that makes it a felony to camp on public property across the state of Tennessee. The bill was passed by the legislature this session and became law, despite Gov. Bill Lee not signing it.