Breaking the Cycle of Homelessness in Nashville

For so long, Nashville represented music and culture; however, its rate of growth over the last ten years has brought new challenges. It is one of the fastest-growing metropolitan regions in the nation, challenging the city with the fast growth of the homeless population. Chronic homelessness shows to have risen by 43% between March 2023 and March 2024 according to reports. It follows that these housing shortages must be given due consideration urgently, but so does a short-term solution to accommodate this growing number of homeless in the city.

The Affordable Housing Task Force estimates that over 53,000 units will be needed by the end of the decade and is aiming for that number to be 18,000 as affordable. This is a number difficult to manage but reflects the increased stress on the housing infrastructure in the city. Still, on many levels, Nashville has started to turn the tide around homelessness through innovative housing projects and support systems.

Some signature projects are the Strobel House. The $35 million undertaking is for permanent supportive housing of the chronically homeless. It has 90 units spread over five stories. It also houses community spaces and terraces downtown Nashville. Accessibility was built in. Indeed, 20% of the units were designed to house residents that will require special accommodations. The Strobel House does not only provide a house but also includes the provision of site services. Its services include health care, alcohol and drug treatment, mental health counseling, vocational training, and independent living skills.

This house is named after a local priest who had himself given to homeless people. And this is some kind of hope to all the homeless people who try and mend their lives. The best case for holistic stability lies in the case of Strobel House which is managed by Depaul USA and which is supported by the government of Metro Nashville and Davidson County.

Others assist in this and one project is Shelby House, which has 195 units of apartments and provides rentals to persons earning between 30 percent and 80 percent of Area Median Income (AMI). This project was developed by Holladay Ventures and Evergreen Real Estate, which addresses a pressing need in the provision of affordable multifamily housing. Another East Nashville development of these developers, this will yield nearly 500 total affordable units once they complete the project in 2026.

Construction for the Ben Allen Affordable Housing Community is about to get underway in 2023. This project nearly 240 units are focused on the people they intend to serve-those working at a wage estimated to be 60% AMI. Wallace Studios actually is adaptive reuse, assuming the abandoned motel; there are over 130 of these with disabilities and ageing out of foster care that bring homelessness history with them. If the use of vouchers is introduced, then residents will be able to use such vouchers in order to make their rents affordable, so this community will be accessible to them.

Worth to mention is the small but big impact project House of Jewels, which helps aging-out foster care girls between the ages of 18-24 years with supportive housing provided at the four-unit rental community that may stabilize her in transition towards an independent living situation.

Various projects have put in collective efforts in the direction of creative solutions for homelessness. From mega-project Shelby House to boutique project House of Jewels, Nashville is slowly gaining its ground toward making its housing landscape more inclusive.

The problem still persists, but Nashville is interrupting homelessness. It proved that with affordable housing combined with supportive services, homelessness can end in a dignified, stable, and long-term manner. This work has been set as an example to other emerging cities in facing the same challenge. Even with a growing demand and limited resources, it has proven change is achievable.