The Metro Public Health Department says it’s not moving forward with a program it announced months ago to help Nashvillians isolate during the pandemic. It would have given hotel vouchers to people in high-risk living situations, like those are who homeless or living in close quarters.
The Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition was among the organizations this summer that pushed for the hotel vouchers. Executive director Lisa Sherman-Nikolaus says it could have helped support immigrants living in multi-generational households, who’ve been hit especially hard by the pandemic.
“You know it is incredibly frustrating given that we’re in the second surge that could be even worse.”
She says the families she serves also need rent and food support. She says without those safety nets, many people are afraid to get tested because they can’t afford to miss work.
A spokesperson for Metro Health says the Department has been unable to identify anybody needing temporary housing that was not already helped by other means.
But homeless advocacy group Open Table Nashville is still pushing for hotel vouchers, especially because the city’s cold weather shelter holds up to 300 people. It’s also in the same complex as the city’s COVID shelters for people experiencing homelessness.
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