Latest news with #AprilCalvin
Yahoo
12-07-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Three key takeaways from Nashville's 2025 PIT Count
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Every year, volunteers take one night to count the number of people experiencing homelessness in Nashville and the city publishes the results as a Point In Time Count. The 2025 PIT Count took place on the evening of January 23; more than 100 volunteers and 32 organizations helped collect the data. JANUARY | Office of Homeless Services conducts 'Point-in-Time count' Here are three key takeaways from this year's count. That represents an increase of 86 people in all. 'While any increase is cause for reflection, it's important to note that this rise remains well below the national average of an 18% increase in homelessness in 2024,' Metro Office of Homeless Services Director April Calvin said. 'Thanks to the dedication of outreach teams, service providers, and community partners who continue to work tirelessly to connect people with housing, services, and support-we are holding the line.' The count is broken down into two categories: the unsheltered count and the sheltered count. Those in the unsheltered count were people sleeping outdoors, in vehicles or in other places not meant for habitation. People in the sheltered count slept in emergency shelters and transitional housing. Though the overall number of people experiencing homelessness increased by 4.1%, the unsheltered count decreased by 123 people — or 17%. According to the OHS, the Department of Housing and Urban Development adopted the federal definition of a chronically homeless person: a person with a disabling condition who has been continuously homeless for at least a year or people with a disabling conditions who have had at least four periods of homelessness within the past three years. That means that families can be considered chronically homeless. While this year's PIT Count did not provide insight about the number of families experiencing chronic homelessness specifically, families with children did make up 4% of households within the total count. 📧 Have breaking news come to you: → In October 2024, the state approved the use of COVID-19 response pods to be used as transitional housing by the city. However, in March, the plan was in jeopardy due to federal funding cuts. Last month, though, Metro announced plans to distribute pallet shelters for use as temporary housing to community partners. They're meant to offer safe, private spaces for people who cannot easily access group shelters — and could work to reduce the number of people in future unsheltered counts. An additional 22% of those in the unsheltered count were staying on streets or sidewalks while 13% were staying in vehicles. Last September, signs were placed around Nashville's then oldest and largest homeless encampment, 'Old Tent City,' advising those there that they would need a new place to live. Though the city initially delayed demolishing the structures in the encampment, by October, demolitions had started. In March, Metro announced plans to close 'Old Tent City.' By June, the site was closed. It is unclear how many unsheltered people during this year's PIT Count were staying in the encampment. ⏩ 'Each person's experience with homelessness is unique, and there is a lot we can learn from more robust information,' Nashville Mayor Freddie O'Connell said. '…This information is key to developing more cohesive collaboration and comprehensive services for people experiencing homelessness in Nashville.' Notably, the count does not include people staying with friends and family, living in hotels or people staying in institutions like jails or hospitals. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
12-07-2025
- General
- Yahoo
‘It's everyone's responsibility': Nashville leaders propose property owners help pay for the removal of homeless encampments
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — A proposal from Metro's Office of Homeless Services could shift more responsibility to private property owners regarding the removal of homeless encampments. At Wednesday's Continuum of Care: Homelessness Planning Council meeting, Director of Metro's OHS April Calvin said that if a property owner wants a homeless encampment moved, they should help pay for it. 'If there is a property owner or a business or someone that's going to ask us to close an encampment or move an encampment, then they should be the responsible party for paying shared cost in that movement,' Calvin said. 📧 Have breaking news come to you: → The proposal follows the release of this year's point-in-time count, which found that more than 2,000 people are experiencing homelessness. However, the unsheltered population — those not in shelters or temporary housing — dropped slightly, with 43% of people living outdoors in encampments. One of those camps used to be in Brookmeade Park. Dede Byrd spent years advocating for its closure and finding housing for the people who called it home. Byrd told News 2 it took the whole community together to work toward a solution. 'It took a whole community to house these individuals, and something that I have learned over the last four years is that at the end of the day, it is the property owner's responsibility to maintain their property,' Byrd said. The OHS told News 2 that it has successfully partnered with private groups in the past to share encampment cleanup costs and wants to make that approach official. 'We actively seek out partnerships that allow us to braid funding and share responsibility, ensuring that the costs associated with transitioning individuals into housing are sustainably managed.' Statement from the OHS, in part ⏩ 'Is it the Office of Homeless Services' responsibility to do that?' Byrd asked. 'No, I don't think that it is. I think it is the property owner, the developer, the private business, they have to participate in some way.' Byrd added that it's a community effort. 'It's everyone's responsibility; I don't think you can lay it at the feet of just one,' Byrd said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
