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I've been thinking a lot lately about emergency shelters in Nashville and what might cause someone to choose the life-threatening cold instead of using them. It is especially top of mind as I'm dashing from my car to my house on these miserable 40 degree drizzly days we've had.
Like most everything, the issues surrounding this safety net are really complex. Nashville has plenty of beds. But it is not as simple as that, many of the 15 or so people I spoke with explained.
During the cold season, there are four emergency shelter options in the city that do this life saving work, but they all have barriers — perceived and real — that keep people out.
The city relies on two religious nonprofits — Nashville Rescue Mission and Room In The Inn — to provide the majority of the beds in Nashville for adults and children. Another nonprofit, Launch Pad, serves folks ages 18 to 24.
And when the temperature is predicted to dip below 29 degrees, the city opens its overflow shelter. But this year, it's in a former jail and advocates say the location is making it even harder for folks to come out of the cold.
So where does this leave Nashville?
Community leaders working closely on homelessness in the city have ideas for solutions. https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/religion/2019/11/23/nashville-homeless-shelter-jail-generates-alternative-proposals/4273597002/
Community leaders working closely on homelessness in the city have ideas for solutions. https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/religion/2019/11/23/nashville-homeless-shelter-jail-generates-alternative-proposals/4273597002/
The Rev. Jay Voorhees, pastor of City Road Chapel United Methodist Church, says the city needs a comprehensive approach to homelessness beyond its housing-first efforts. He boils it down to a pointed question.
"The basic question for me is do we want folks to die on the street?
"The basic question for me is do we want folks to die on the street?
You can read more about the emergency shelter options in Nashville and their barriers in my latest subscriber only story. #SupportLocalJournalism https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/religion/2019/11/23/nashville-cold-weather-emergency-shelter-homeless-exposes-issues-city-safety-net/4231876002/?fbclid=IwAR0zF8aluYQ7rnV9W45Ty6-fH1wWJPTYaxoDk7coveI47oDKl5AFKsVJMzI
