Homelessness during the pandemic

Hand washing stations, restrooms set up to help people experiencing homelessness during the pandemic

BY HANNAH HERNER

Part of surviving on the streets is knowing where to get the resources one needs — a meal, a restroom, a place to clean up. With dining areas of friendly local restaurants and public spaces like libraries closed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, people living on the streets have to find new places to use the restroom and wash their hands. Metro government stepped in to set up 14 stations with port-a-potties and hand washing sinks throughout Nashville. It’s important for a person experiencing homelessness to have a place they can go where they won’t be met with resistance, says Susan Adcock, outreach worker for Open Table Nashville. Adcock says she’s gotten a positive response from her clients who did use the stations.

“The port-a-johns have helped tremendously,” Adcock says. “I feel like they should have always had more access to toilets, not only for their benefit but for everybody, a public health benefit.”

Adcock says it took longer for her clients to realize the scope of COVID-19 because they often don’t have access to the news via a smartphone or a TV. Even with much of the city shut down, Adcock is still passing out resources to her clients — the latest news on the virus along with some travel-sized donated bottles of hand sanitizer and some reassurance. She printed out several fliers with information from nashvillehomeless.com to include, too. “It’s not a lot, but it’s comforting to people to at least give them a little something to feel like they’re in control,” Adcock says.

Metro Homeless Impact Division is working with community partners to identify locations for the sanitizing stations. They are not currently taking requests for locations.

See a list of locations below:

1. Central: Riverfront Park (near 100 1st Ave N.)

2. Central: Outside the Downtown Public Library (700 Church St)

3. South: Soccer field parking lot by Wentworth-Caldwell Park (4905 Edmondson Pike)

4. North: Jefferson Street Bridge (near 1082 First Ave North)

5. East: Loaves and Fishes parking lot by Holy Name

6. West: Charlotte Pike behind the Bojangles at the entrance to Brookmeade Greenway.

7. Madison: Madison Library (610 Gallatin Pike South, Madison)

8. Goodlettsville: Goodlettsville Library branch, (205 Rivergate Parkway)

9. South: At the bottom of Athens Road (off Hermitage)

10. Central: Outside of Room In The Inn (705 Drexel)

11. South: Adventure Science Center by the picnic area (800 Fort Negley)

12. West: Centennial Park by the Pavilion

13. South: The corner of Nolensville and Moore (close to the fairgrounds right where the Nolensville turns to 2nd ave)

14. North: Cement Plant Road (the greenway next to the Cumberland River right in the middle, in the gravel parking lot)

HOMELESS SERVICE PROVIDERS RE-STRATEGIZE

BY HANNAH HERNER

As the spread of COVID-19 began to ramp up in Tennessee and homeless service providers had to change their services, phones blew up with updates — calls, texts and the dreaded group email threads.

That’s why Judith Tackett, director of Metro’s Homeless Impact Division, created a separate website, nashvillehomeless.com, just for updates on how providers are changing their services in the wake of the virus. “It’s really hard to follow emails right now, especially when they come en masse,” Tackett says. “It’s much easier to have a landing page where people can go and see regularly what is new.”

Service providers are encouraged to submit information about their services through the yellow highlighted “submit updates” form in the upper right of the page.

Because of COVID-19, the M.O. for service providers has had to change. Typically, social workers would check in regularly with clients, in person. Now they’re switching over to phone calls as much as possible, Tackett says. Some meal and shower providers have reduced the frequency of service, and some have reduced how many can access service at the same time — in an effort to obey social distancing.

Social distancing also means that providers are working with the bare bones number of volunteers and staff, Tackett says. She says the best way to support these folks is through money and resources.

One of the priorities under Mayor John Cooper’s “Safer at Home” order is those who live in encampments.

“Our community outreach groups are partnering with local ministries to set up a food box delivery for encampments,” Tacket says. “We would like to ensure that people in encampments can practice the Safer at Home and remain as much in their encampment as possible.”

Items for the emergency food boxes can be dropped off at Glencliff United Methodist Church, 2901 Glencliff Road, Monday through Friday from 10 am to 3 pm.

Nashvillehomeless.com is a resource for people experiencing homelessness and service providers alike.

“I think the most common question from service providers has been, ‘how can I be helpful?’ Everybody still wants to do the most that they can do in a safe way for their staff and especially for the people that they serve,” Tackett says.

Questions? Email judith.tackett@ nashville.gov