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Housing First graduate James Campbell

In Nashville, most homeless outreach agencies believe a home is something that must be earned. Roughly four years ago, the Metro Homelessness Commission decided that approach wasn’t cutting it, that too many chronically homeless lingered on the streets and it was costing the city money. The commission adopted a program called Housing First as the solution, but it’s been slow to gain traction.

On The Street

For about a month, homeless outreach worker Jeannie Alexander lost track of 43-year-old Yolanda, a woman who bounces from bus bench to bus bench. Alexander eventually spots her downtown wearing a long, floral dress and plaid blanket over her head in anticipation of raindrops

“Where will you going if it rains?” Alexander asks. Yolanda points to an awning at a vacant building. “I hate that,” Alexander says. “It just makes me sad.”

Alexander wants her in an apartment before winter, but Yolanda’s mentally ill and struggles with rules. The only way she’ll stay housed is with constant attention. Something Housing First provides.

“It is a different system,” Alexander says, “so that if you -quote unquote – screw up, you’re not going to be kicked to the curb. You’re not going to be back on the street.”

Screwing Up By Drinking or Fighting

Housing First takes longtime homeless with addictions and mental illness and gets a roof over their heads. A social worker stands in as family, making sure meds are taken, disability and social security checks are coming in, and food is in the fridge. In theory, the housing will motivate change. With the stress of homelessness gone, drinking should decrease. But Housing First, as its name implies, doesn’t require drinking to stop. That’s a deal-breaker to potential partners.

“I have a problem when I’m subsidizing your addiction, when I’m subsidizing your alcoholism,” says Don Worrell.

For 25 years, Worrell has run the Nashville Rescue Mission that takes in one thousand homeless a night. He says from what he’s seen, an active addiction is a fast track back to the streets. It’s why he says he won’t support a program that allows it, “I don’t believe housing is a right. I believe housing is a privilege.”

Challenging Established Practice

At the mission, an apartment only comes after completing several months in a life-recovery program. It includes rehab, GED classes, and Bible study. That’s the traditional path to housing in Nashville.

“We’ve done stuff, you know, traditionally for the past 25, 30 years,” says Clifton Harris , the Executive Director of the Metro Homelessness Commission. He says its time for a new approach, given several hundred chronically homeless remain on Nashville streets.

Housing First has gotten 56 people into apartments with its $300,000 dollar budget. But, to make a big dent, it needs $3 to $4 million a year.

“We’ll make believers out of the larger naysayers, if you will, and get the funding that we need, you know, to expand Housing First,” Harris says.

The hope is that converted skeptics will decide to share some of their federal dollars and donations to Housing First. The program, when done right, isn’t cheap. The plus side, Harris argues, is it may save the public from paying for nights in jail or the ER.

James Campbell and His Feet

Take James Campbell.

“Well I got a bone taken out right here on the side,” the 59 –year-old points to his left heel resting in royal blue velvety slippers.

All the walking during his twenty some years on the streets added up. Campbell says one night, a friend noticed something wrong and called to him, “James! I said yeah. He said you’re bleeding. I’m bleeding? I ain’t got no cut on me nowhere. He said look at your foot!”

His sock was blood soaked. An ambulance whisked Campbell to Nashville General’s ER. The ambulance ride cost a couple hundred dollars. The treatment cost about a $1,000.

Nashville General estimates in the last two years they’ve spent more than $6 million treating the homeless. Now, Campbell lives in an apartment Housing First moved him into about a year ago. He hasn’t been to the ER since being handed the keys.

A brown and orange antique couch from his cousin is now his go to place for aching feet.

A Long Way To The Goal

Metro Councilman Erik Cole chairs the homelessness commission. He knows securing buy-in from homeless agencies will be a challenge. He doesn’t want to question their years of good work, but he’s asking they reroute their money.

“We’ve got a real hard job ahead of us, to kind of talk about these new models and talk about these solutions, while not saying, or meaning to say, bad things about existing providers.”

Cole says, in hindsight, the money commitment should’ve come before the program’s launch. The commission still hopes to raise $20 million in next five years. So far, they’ve raised about $200,000.

“Alright Lady, Take Care”

Back downtown, outreach worker Jeannie Alexander hugs Yolanda good-bye and walks away.

“People want to know why we have this problem with homelessness in the city,” she says as she stops in frustration, adamant something has to change. “Why are there so many homeless people? Alright? And it’s because what we have is we’ve got a network of Band-Aids.”

Alexander knows even with a successful Housing First, there will always be people on the street. She’d just like not to see so many familiar faces.

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