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‘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 This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.