The Contributor: August 14, 2024 by the-contributor-live

IN THE ISSUE

Vendor Spotlight

Vendor Writing

La Noticia + The Contributor

La Noticia, one of the leading Spanish-language newspapers in the

to The

Moving Pictures

HOW TO PAY A VENDOR WITH VENMO

Any vendor of The Contributor can accept VENMO as payment. Technology is a barrier to those experiencing homelessness. Many of our vendors don’t have phones or bank accounts, or use online commerce. Thus we simplified the VENMO process by using one account for all vendors. This means YOU MUST IDENTIFY YOUR VENDOR when using VENMO. Here is the skinny on how to do it right.

#1 You must have a VENMO account. Sign up at www.venmo.com if you haven’t already.

#2 SCAN THE SQUARE QR CODE in the top left corner of the cover of this paper using your phone or tablet camera. Then press the button that appears once it has been recognized.

#3 CLICK the blue “Pay or Request” button on the screen with The Contributor yellow and black logo.

#4 TYPE in the amount you wish to pay. The paper costs $2. Tips are welcomed. Vendors get all the money you send and can pick it up the next business day at our office.

#5 Most importantly, TYPE YOUR VENDOR’S NAME AND BADGE # in the “What’s this for?” box. Then hit the PAY button. Their name and 4 digit badge # should be written on the front cover of the paper below the QR code. You must

identify them to insure they will get the money. First name, last initial and 4 digit badge # will ensure that a vendor with a similar name doesn’t get confused for your vendor. You can also leave feedback in this field. But always identify the vendor. If they didn’t write their name or badge # on the cover of this paper, please describe where they were and what they looked like. This usually can identify them.

#6 HIT THE PAY BUTTON.

#7 The FIRST TIME you pay anyone using VENMO you will be asked to enter the last 4 digits of their phone number. Type 6829 in this field. Our phone number is (615) 829-6829. Or, you can scroll down and skip this step. (VENMO wants to protect you from sending money to the wrong person with a similar name. The next time you pay a vendor using our account, you won’t be asked to verify again.)

#8 ALWAYS TAKE THE PAPER HOME WITH YOU. When vendors sell out, the satisfaction of having a business that sells out its products begins to sink in! Vendors who sell out, come back to our office to buy more. This helps our vendors meet their sales goals. And, it is there that we can meet with them, give them their VENMO payments or mail and work on solving their barriers to housing and life’s goals.

#9 Friend us on VENMO and leave feedback. Open the app and click on “Me” at the bottom. Then select “Transactions” to see your payments. Click on the payment to The Contributor in your transaction list and then click on our icon at the top of the screen to see all of those transactions between us. On this page you can “Friend” us and click on the speech bubble icons of all your payments to leave feedback on your experience. Constructive feedback and praise help encourage our vendors to do their best.

Haggard & Linda Bailey Co-Editors Holly Bowman Director of Development

Givens

Thomas P. talks about overcoming despair

“You’re gonna find yourself in despair. But don’t let it discourage you.”

Contributor vendor Thomas P. has grown alongside Nashville the last 50 years he’s lived here; he’s watched the city go from a modest hub with a rich musical legacy to the sprawling metropolis it is today.

“Things were different back then. Everything was different,” he said. “Things were a lot less expensive. Work was a lot easier to find. People were a lot more decent. Now they’ve got more like a northern attitude, like they don’t want to speak when you speak to them. Used to be some southern hospitality down here. Ain’t no hospitality no more; seldom you find anybody that’s got any.”

Various biases inform people’s perception of the poor and homeless, and Thomas has his share of stories about how these biases can spoil an otherwise mundane interaction. Selling the paper is a lot about making connections with people, Thomas said, but people won’t always act in good faith.

“I go out there and I try to sell my personality to them, but there’s some people you’re not gonna be able to sell your personality to because they don’t like you. Whatever reason they have in that dungeon they call a mind, they just don’t like you. When I say, ‘How you doing, sir?’ and he acts like he doesn’t hear me, I’ll make sure that you do hear me,” Thomas said. “I don’t want to talk to anyone that doesn’t want to talk to me. I’m a man just like you. I’m an adult just like you. I’m just in a different situation than you. But you’re not gonna discourage me. I’m gonna keep focused, I’m gonna stay vigilant, I’m gonna get my ass up out of this situation, no matter what you think about me.

Thomas’s reason for selling is ultimately that he had run out of options, and it was a way he could make money on his own terms.

“I became homeless,” Thomas said. “I didn’t have nothing better to do, I didn’t want to just hang out on the streets doing nothing … If I’m gonna be homeless, if I’m gonna be on the streets, I might as well have this badge on, and these papers, and sit out there in a spot where people are constantly coming by. And maybe, just maybe, somebody decides to buy a paper; I’m putting money in my pocket. I’m prospering.”

BY JUSTIN WAGNER

Thomas was housed permanently within the past couple years at a low-income apartment that specifically assists the elderly and disabled, or so it seemed; after a medical scare that kept him hospitalized for months, he returned to no apartment at all. When he most needed to rest and recover with a roof overhead, Thomas was sent back to the streets with few job prospects and lengthy waitlists walling off every low-income bed in the city.

“Well, I went in the hospital, I come out, I had an eviction notice on my door,” he said. “I was in there for diabetes; I didn’t know I was a diabetic and my sugar was around 1200. In other words, I was about to go into a diabetic coma. So they kept me for quite awhile. When I come out, there was the notice on my door: eviction notice. I told ‘em, ‘You do know I was in the hospital, right?’ They said, ‘Yeah, we know.’”

“I said, ‘Well, I guess y’all just don’t care.’”

With no recourse and nowhere to go, Thomas returned to sleeping outside and selling the paper; though it was more precarious this time, as statewide law had mandated public camping was illegal, severely limiting the places Thomas can safely sleep. It’s only after a months-long search involving numerous organizations and housing applications that Thomas finally moved into a new apartment again last month.

The new apartment will give Thomas a chance to recuperate physically, and finally enjoy some of the things he can’t while living outside, he said.

“It feels damn good,” he said. “I don’t have to be scratchin’ all the darn time, things crawling on you while you’re sleeping. Things are a little bit better. It’s gonna be better … I like to cook. I watch cooking shows, something inspires me, that’s what I like to cook.”

He said the rarity of this sort of opportunity wasn’t lost on him, and that some unhoused people have had so many similar chances at housing elude them that it’s drained all their hope.

“Some of these people don’t have any hope, man. They don’t have any hope. I knew a woman who had a daughter, and she’s got a big old house and wants her to come live with her, and she’d rather stay out here in the damn streets. I don’t want that. I want to be able to turn on the heat when it gets cold, turn on the air when it gets hot, have a roof over my head when it rains or snows. Wake up when I want to, sleep when I’m ready. Eat what I like. You can’t do that out in the streets.”

Thomas is grateful to God for it all, and has a word of advice for anyone trying to get off the streets: stay on a righteous path, and don’t let despair keep you from chasing your aspirations.

“The Lord is a righteous God, you can’t get away from him. He’s a righteous God, he’s gonna do the righteous thing. He shows favor on those who he chooses to show favor to. All I can tell anyone is just keep vigilant, man. Do the right thing. Don’t be no fool for nobody, just stay focused … we used to say, ‘keep your eye on that sparrow.’ The road to damnation is wide, but the road to salvation is very, very narrow. Stay on the path.”

PHOTO BY JUSTIN WAGNER

Etowah – What Caused the Downturn: “Rest of The Story”

BY MERRILL OSBORNE

The Etowah Depot and the town of Etowah began when the Louisville & Nashville railroad planned a new more direct route in 1902, between Cincinnati and Atlanta, thus bypassing the Hiwassee River Gorge and the Great Hiwassee Loop.

There was a need for a terminal for crew changes to service steam engines and to serve as the Atlanta Division Headquarters. 1454 acres were set aside for the depot, shops and the proposed township to support the railroad workforce. The 15 room, yellow pine, Victorian structure was the first permanent building in the planned township of Etowah, Tennessee.

The land was purchased for $10 to $20 per acre by L&N Railroad creating a major rail center in the town of Etowah.

After the 25 acres chosen for the terminal and yard were drained and raised over 3 feet, the first building to be constructed was the L&N Depot at a cost of $13,000. The totally electrified railroad complex and shops, tracks and grounds cost the L&N railroad $200,000 at the close of 1906. In 1916 the Portico room, on the front of the building, was added to provide more office space for the engineering department. By 1927 there were over 2,000 men working in the shops and 250 more working the 14 passenger trains that moved through Etowah daily.

During the early 1920s, the Etowah complex was active and thriving, but in 1928 the L&N began replacing the wooden "rolling stock" with steel freight and passenger cars, which forced the lay-off of 200 shopmen in Etowah. The same year the Atlanta and Knoxville division was combined and the Etowah offices were moved to Knoxville. By 1931, the Etowah shop force had shrunk from 2,100 to 80 workers.

Etowah's population in 1920 was 2,516 almost identical to Athens at 2,580. Train cars at the time had wooden sides and a wooden floor with the steel wheels bolted to the floor. The doors and all the moving parts were designed to rock as the train moved. I've ridden one in Nevada in the town of Virginia City not far from the Ponderosa where “Hoss n Little Joe” hung out. Etowah was a “Perfect Place” to repair these cars. Plenty of hardwood nearby. The rail line going through Etowah had plenty of traffic so any cars that needed to be refurbished could easily be re-routed or added to another train that was already going by Etowah and the cars in need of repair dropped off. The ones finished could be picked up and added and dropped off at a main Hub. This Etowah route much the same as Highway 411 shaved off 50 miles on the trip if you were traveling from Knoxville To Atlanta instead of going through Chat-

tanooga on the way to Atlanta. A win-win for L&N and Etowah.

The “Rest of The Story” as Paul Harvey would say happened in Nashville. Now you wondering what could happen 250 miles away that would sound the death knell for a town in East Tennessee.

On July 9, 1918, near Nashville, Tennessee, in an area known as Dutchman's Curve, two trains collided head-on, creating such a frightful noise that many claimed it could be “heard for miles.” It was 7 a.m. on a warm summer morning and both trains on the Nashville, Chattanooga and the St. Louis lines were running late.

The westbound or outbound passenger train to Memphis had just pulled out of Nashville’s Union Station is packed with passengers. The eastbound train was heading inbound to the Nashville station from Memphis. Both veteran engineers had orders. The inbound train had the right of way on the curve’s one-way track. The outbound train would have to wait at the double tracks just outside of the station for the other train to pass. But something went horribly wrong. A green light was given to the outbound train to proceed, meaning someone had seen or heard the incoming train pass. But when the tower operator checked his papers, there was no record of the Nashville-bound train coming through.

In reality, the inbound train was running nearly 35 minutes behind schedule. One of the trains was pulling the newer “steel” passenger cars while the other was pulling the older wooden ones and had more passengers then the train with steel passenger cars.

The operator frantically telegraphed the dispatcher who immediately sent an urgent message back. “Stop him,” was his order. But how? At the time, there was no direct communication with the engineers in either train. Only a warning whistle was used for emergencies. The whistle blared, but the outbound train was too far along for anyone to hear it. By this time, the inbound train was chugging to the curve.

Both trains were moving at top speeds of 60 mph. Then a moment of sheer terror. The engineer of the outbound train caught a glimpse of the other train coming around the bend, directly in his path. He pulled the emergency brake, but there wasn’t enough time. Then that sound that could be heard for miles.

“The ground quaked and the waters of nearby Richland Creek trembled,” one writer later described. “The wooden cars crumbled and hurled sideways, hanging over the embankment. One train telescoped the other.”

Learn More about the Effectiveness of Encampment Closures

Homelessness has become a highly politicized issue. With the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling in June and the consequent executive order California Gov. Gavin Newsom issued in late July, closing encampments continues to be the focus nationwide.

In City of Grants Pass v. Johnson, SCOTUS determine that it was “not cruel and unusual to ticket, fine, or otherwise punish unsheltered people for sleeping outside, even if there are no shelter beds available,” as reported by Barbara DiPietro (see The Contributor, Volume 18, Number 15, July 17-23, 2024). But they essentially also stated that local jurisdictions have the flexibility of how to address homelessness. In other words, while it seemingly became easier to criminalize homelessness, it is still up to local authorities whether they choose to do so.

Gov. Newsom, who used to be the mayor of San Francisco and was long seen as a staunch supporter of homelessness solutions, has issued an executive order that directs his state agencies to start clearing encampments on California state property.

The National Alliance to End Homelessness quickly responded, saying that, “this Executive Order uplifts the deeply flawed approach used by the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans). This model requires only 48 hours of notice to providers and encampment residents, and sometimes less. It also allows for encampment evictions to occur regardless of whether there is an adequate supply of available and accessible shelter and housing resources.”

While this executive order has clearly no direct impact on Nashville, it serves as a warning and a reminder to our local politicians that Tennessee has already implemented a law that makes camping on public property a felony. Furthermore, language in the executive order and also the Supreme Court decision make it look like we’re doing people a favor if we shut down their encampment, even if there is no shelter or housing available for them.

Nashville is not immune to this trend of touting success in utilizing encampment closures — but while the city has claimed a 90 percent success rate, the data shows fewer than half of the people the city moved out of encampments over the past 18 months or so are in permanent housing.

In many neighborhoods, including in Nashville, local politicians receive the most complaints from neighbors and businesses impacted by outdoor homelessness and call for quick fixes. And government agencies find themselves under pressure and have a hard time explaining how complex systems work while demonstrating progress, which seems too slow.

The resulting frustration feeds a never-ending cycle that focuses on reducing visible homelessness as fast as possible. The way to do it fast, it seems, is by reducing encampments.

However, I argue that rather than caving in to the political pressure, public officials, nonprofits, churches and neighborhoods need to find the courage to stand behind the fact that we simply need more accessible low-income housing before we can even begin to truly tackle homelessness in a sustainable manner. It will take time, and there are no shortcuts to making permanent housing available to all people. Research supports this argument.

Simply put, closing encampments without

BY JUDITH TACKETT

building a pipeline with direct access to a variety of permanent housing options coupled with individualized support services, is not effective — no matter how much local, state, and federal departments want to convince politicians that this is a viable solution.

District 16 Councilmember Ginny Welsch shared with me a recent statement made by the executive director of the Office of Homeless Services. That statement read, “In the last 12 months, we closed 4 camps, successfully housing people in permanent housing, temp housing, recovery options or family reunification. This was achieved with a successful 90 percent retention rate, demonstrating the effectiveness of our encampment strategy.”

The 90 percent retention rate would mean that the strategy was successful, but we need to go a level deeper to examine the Office of Homelessness’ report to Metro Council about the encampment closures on which this statement was based. In that report, only 41 percent of people who lived in these encampments were in permanent places 18 months after the closures started. If we are a Housing First city, then permanent placements are what we need to consider when we look at success or retention rates. Temporary placements do not count as part of the solution.

While a Housing First-oriented system should offer temporary housing options to people on their path to permanent housing with the right support services, it should remain an option for people, not a mandate that they go into shelter first before they are offered permanent housing. The reason is that transitioning between different programs to permanency is always disruptive to people. That’s why Housing First principles call for the most direct access to permanent housing as possible. Again, and I cannot stress this enough, there are different paths to housing and people should have a choice. I have met plenty of folks who felt they wanted to be in a transitional housing program first to receive more intensive services — especially those who wanted to address their addictions before signing their own lease to an apartment.

The data OHS presented to the Metro Coun-

cil in its monthly report for the month of June is below; this data was chosen because it was closest to the date OHS stated their 90 percent retention rate.

In the top chart you see the four encampments that were closed in this order starting in December 2022: Brookmeade in West Nashville; Wentworth Caldwell Park on Edmondson Pike near the intersection of Nolensville Pike and Harding Place; the former encampment behind the TA Truck stop on First Street near Downtown; and the Hermitage encampment behind the Exxon station off Old Hickory Boulevard.

There were a total of 188 people who were registered as living in those encampments and eligible for housing placements through the community’s Coordinated Entry process. However, when you go to the lower chart, which lists the destination of where people were in June of 2024, the total only adds up to 176 people. Thus, 12 people are missing, which may mean they either chose to move on their own or theoretically, they could have also moved into permanent housing. That's not totally clear within the data.s.

When we take the 176 people that ended up in temporary places and deduct the 17 people who are listed as “returned to homelessness,” we will get to the 90 percent retention rate.

Housing First means permanent housing is the definition for success. This does not include temporary housing such as shelters, gap housing or any places where people cannot stay independently and indefinitely if they choose to do so — basically permanency most often means that people hold their own lease. The family reunification they listed in the report says (temporary), thus, those would not count as permanent housing.

Based on the OHS’ report: 71 out of 188 were permanently housed, which is 38 percent.

If we add people who are deceased to the permanent solution: 77 out of 188, which is 41 percent.

A recent report by Rand Corp. found that, “homeless encampment cleanups including Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass' Inside Safe program that moves people into motels and hotels have no long-term effect on the number of people living on the streets,” as written in an article by Doug Smith

for the Los Angeles Times. While this longitudinal study is limited and not necessarily applicable to other cities, it still captured my attention because based on statements made by a former consultant who helped develop the local encampment closure strategy, Nashville was watching the Inside Safe program and its outcomes.

While I may not agree with the statement that the city accomplished a 90-percent success rate, there is positive news in that I expect people to be able to finally move out of temporary housing to permanent supportive housing (PSH) with the right support. More than 350 new PSH units are coming on board this year, including Metro’s 90-unit Strobel House. If we continue on this trajectory, we are heading in the right direction.

As for the current Metro encampment closure plan, I’m not totally on board with where we are right now. For years, our encampment and outdoor plans centered on access to permanent housing, and I encourage Metro to build on that. There is a difference between an encampment closure plan (which actually is 100 percent successful right now considering that all four camps are gone) and an outdoor housing plan that actually ends people’s homelessness status. Once the overall outdoor population shrinks, encampment numbers naturally will go down. That’s when Metro needs to move in with transparent and collaborative efforts to close and clean up encampments.

With the focus shifting to the development of Wharf Park near Downtown Nashville — a property that houses the largest encampment in Nashville, OHS will be pressured to lead a transparent and collaborative approach.

Councilmember Welsch said she would continue to push for more transparency.

“When we are only receiving messaging that shows us how great everything is going here in Nashville, we are unable to truly evaluate the need and identify opportunities for improvement,” Welsch said. “I sometimes question whether we are implementing solutions that work for [the] government rather than the people who are unhoused and need our attention and help.”

Haikus

WRITTEN BY NORMA B., CONTRIBUTOR VENDOR

1.) What is empathy? It is your pain in my heart How do you show it?

2.) What is a true friend? Someone who’s there for others In their time of need

3.) Turbulent waters Difficult times stress and strain Who will stop the rain?

4.) To make a true friend Be the friend you’d like to have Be kind and listen

5.) Happy, average, sad Emotions run high daily Leaves you feeling drained

6.) Pediatricians Care for our children and teens Until age 18

7.) Unbelievable Life situations can be Exhilarating

8.) Discrimination Is detrimental to ALL Affected by it

9.) Individuals Stand out as one of a kind A community

10.) Intimidating A scary situation Feeling all alone

11.) Representative Someone who speaks for others Giving them a voice

12.) Sophisticated Elegant, refined, fancy Not regular folks

13.) Irresistible Desire that won’t fade away With each passing day

14.) Appreciated Recognized for what we do Rare in today’s world

Neighborhood Health started with one single office 40 years ago basically to aid the homeless. A lot has changed since it’s opening in the late 70s. The need was greater, they found out, and they extended their services to the poor and even the working poor. Today they have 13 locations scattered throughout Davidson County, Lebanon and Hartsville. The downtown Nashville location has been dubbed “The Homeless Clinic” and it's well deserved. After multiliple noncompliance findings by federal auditors, Metro asked Neighborhood Health to fully assume responsibility for the Downtown location in 2008. Since then they have helped over five thousand homeless individuals. The clinic is located next door to Room In The Inn and a block away from the Nashville Rescue Mission. It is a much-needed welcome to the community. I first discovered the clinic

BY VICKY B., FORMER CONTRIBUTOR VENDOR

after several trips to a local ER and referrals that were worthless without insurance. I was finally able to receive medical care after my stroke. No receptionist loudly calling to her coworkers that I didn’t have insurance. I received a paper to fill out and a smile. A top-notch doctor, Dr. Kelly, and prescriptions that they filled for me right there at the clinic. They were my lifeline until I finally got insurance through disability and Medicare. I found out after getting insurance that I could stay with Neighborhood Health. A relationship of trust was built long before and made me more comfortable with stick-

13 Years with The Contributor Health Care for Everyone

On August 3, I've been selling The Contributor for 13 years. I love it.

On September 3, I'm having surgery on my leg and I don't know when I'll be back to sell the paper. It's been a year since my accident and since the doctors messed up my first surgery. If it was not for my husband, I don't know what I would do. I pray about better days. We're

BY JAMIE W., FORMER CONTRIBUTOR VENDOR

struggling like crazy and I hope and pray my customers will come through. I'm worried about everything. My bills need to be paid. I want all of my customers to know I'm greatful for all of you. I'm just worried about everything.

I don't know when I will be back, but I will be back. May God bless everyone of my customers and everyone at The Con -

Family Reunion

BY WILLIAM B., FORMER CONTRIBUTOR VENDOR

My son saved my life back when he was eight years old. I got pinned under a car and I was screaming. I had it sitting on blocks because I was taking out the drive shaft to get to the transmission. When I did that it went out of gear and drug me down an alley. I was screaming the whole time and my son heard me from the house on the second floor. He got people out there quick with two big jacks. We had to use them both so I could slide out. I wanted out quick! My son saved my life that day when he heard me screaming and struggling. He’s also saved my life another time.

Once we were out at night and he seen someone behind us with a knife. He said, “Daddy that man has a knife.” It was a big dude, but I was able to get us out of there. So he’s actually saved my life twice.

This past Saturday, he came to see me. I hadn’t seen him since he was nine because he was taken from me and his mother. My drug addiction caused me to lose him. My wife was being charged with severe abuse on my kids and neglect because she wasn’t keeping up with them. When he came to see me we had a good father and son reunion. He’s 35 now. It was a total surprise. He called me and told me he was in Nashville.

We had a great reunion.

We have talked over the years, but I hadn’t seen him in person since he was 9 years old. When I saw him I said, “WOW.”

He said, “What’s wrong Daddy?” I said, “You look just like me!” He agreed. He’s really super smart. I taught him how to play the spoons when he was a kid, but he don’t play anymore.

We talked about everything: his sister and his mama and how everything has changed. We both talk a lot! We don’t know when to quit. We have to interrupt each other when we want to say some -

ing with them. Did you know that if you have insurance and go to one of the clinics it’ll help those without insurance? How can that be? Neighborhood Health is a nonprofit and every time someone with insurance comes in the fees, they collect from the insurance company goes to help pay for those without insurance. What a wonderful way to give back to those less fortunate.

Clinics are staffed with physicians, nurse practitioners, midwives, psychiatric nurse practitioners, dentists, and hygienists. They have mental health services and quite a list of people ready to help you no matter your ability to pay. As the community’s needs have grown, so has Neighborhood Health. It all starts with a call to (615) 227-3000. Choose which clinic location is convenient for you and set that appointment.

tributor. I look forward to when I can see my customers again. Everyone keep me in your prayers. My husband says everything will work out. I'm greatful for everyone at The Contributor. If it was not for The Contributor, I would not have a job. I'm grateful and blessed to know people that look forward to everything. I'm worried about everything.

thing. That’s something he inherited from me. He’s fidgety like me too (probably the ADHD). He did not get all of my medical problems thankfully. We prayed that he stays cancer free, unlike me. He asked me to sing him a gospel song. He was struggling. I told him not to give up. This was a real big thing in my life. It’s like that song back in the 60s, “My Heart Went Bing-A-Ling.” I didn’t want my son to leave, but he had to drive back. It lit up my life so strongly. I prayed so strongly about it after that we could be stronger and closer. I’m gonna call him tonight.

LA NOTICIA

“The Contributor” está trabajando con uno de los principales periódicos en español La Noticia para llevar contenido a más lectores en Middle Tennessee. Nuestros vendedores de periódicos han pedido durante mucho tiempo que nuestra publicación incluya contenido que apele al interés de residentes de habla hispana en nuestra comunidad.

“The Contributor” is working with one of the leading Spanish-language newspapers La Noticia to bring content to more readers in Middle Tennessee. Our newspaper vendors have long requested that our publication include content that appeals to the interest of Spanish-speaking residents in our community.

Julión Álvarez continúa demostrando su influencia en la escena musical. La noche del sábado 20 de julio será una fecha que Ciudad del Carmen, Campeche y el intérprete no olvidarán, pues llegó para presentar su espectacular show a más de 35,000 personas.

Conocido como “El Rey de la Taquilla”, Julión Álvarez ha dejado una huella imborrable en la música regional mexicana. La “Concha Acústica” vibró con cada uno de sus éxitos, permitiendo que el artista conectara de inmediato con sus fanáticos y demostrando así que sigue coronándose en cada rincón de México.

La noche comenzó con una explosión de emociones mientras Julión interpretaba sus grandes éxitos. Temas como “Regalo de Dios” y “Lo tienes todo” cautivaron a los miles de asistentes, quienes coreaban cada palabra con entusiasmo. La voz potente y carismática del cantante llenó el recinto, creando un ambiente de celebración y unión.

Más tarde, cuando sonaron las notas de “El bombón” y “La María”, el público no pudo resistirse y se puso de pie para dar comienzo a una animada sesión de baile. La energía con- tagiosa de Julión Álvarez se propagó entre los asistentes, haciendo que cada rincón de la “Concha Acústica” vibrara con la música y el entusiasmo de los presentes.

Julión Álvarez, originario de La Concordia, Chiapas, ha sabido consolidarse como uno de los cantantes más reconocidos de México. Su carrera está llena de múltiples logros y éxitos, desde conciertos abarrotados hasta millones de seguidores en sus redes sociales. En la plataforma de Spotify, Julión acumula más de 15 millones de oyentes mensuales, lo que confirma su popularidad y el impacto de su música en una audiencia global.

“El Rey de la Taquilla” no solo se destaca por su talento musical, sino también por su capacidad para conectar con su público. Cada presentación de Julión Álvarez es una experiencia única, donde el cantante no solo interpreta sus canciones, sino que también comparte momentos de cercanía y complicidad con sus fans.

En Ciudad del Carmen, Campeche, no fue diferente. Los asistentes pudieron disfrutar de un espectáculo lleno de

Conoce tus derechos: ¿Que hacer en caso de una redada?

1. Mantenerse callado

2. Sólo dar nombre y apellido

3. No mentir

4. Nunca acepte/lleve documentos falsos

5. No revelar su situación migratoria

6. No llevar documentación de otro país

7. En caso de ser arrestado, mostrarla Tarjeta Miranda (llámenos si necesita una)

Basados en la Quinta Enmienda de la Constitución, los derechos de guardar silencio y contar con un abogado fueron denominados Derechos Miranda luego de la decisión de la Suprema Corte de Justicia de Estados Unidos en el caso Miranda vs. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436, de 1966.

luces, sonido y emoción, donde cada canción era recibida con aplausos y ovaciones. La entrega y pasión de Julión en el escenario hicieron de la noche del 20 de julio un evento inolvidable para todos los presentes.

La carrera de Julión Álvarez sigue en ascenso, y su capacidad para llenar recintos y cautivar a miles de personas es prueba de su talento y dedicación. Con cada presentación, “El Rey de la Taquilla” reafirma su lugar en el corazón de sus seguidores y en la historia de la música mexicana.

Con más de 15 millones de oyentes mensuales en Spotify, Julión Álvarez continúa consolidándose como uno de los artistas más influyentes de su género. Su capacidad para adaptarse a los tiempos y seguir siendo relevante es un testimonio de su talento y visión artística.

El concierto en Ciudad del Carmen fue, sin duda, una muestra más del impacto y la grandeza de Julión Álvarez, un artista que sigue brillando con luz propia y dejando una marca indeleble en cada escenario que pisa.

Envíenos sus sugerencias por e-mail: news@hispanicpaper.com ó 615-582-3757

Por Yuri Cunza Editor-In-Chief @yuricunza

"The King of the Box Office" - Julión Álvarez's career continues to rise.

Foto: JULIÓN ÁLVAREZ

El intérprete logró reunir a más de 35 mil personas en la "Concha Acústica"

Foto: JULIÓN ÁLVAREZ

CAUTION: STUDENT HOMELESSNESS

Q&A with Catherine Knowles

BY JUDITH TACKETT

On the first day of classes at Metro Nashville Public Schools, the Director of the Homeless Education Program for the district said they had already processed paperwork for 757 students who were considered homeless this school year.

Catherine Knowles has served in her role as director for 26 years, and she’s a nationally recognized expert among homelessness providers and advocates. In her time with the district, she’s seen students and their families who experience homelessness grow from 200 students a year to close to 4,500 this past school year (2023-2024), which showed a 27 percent increase over the prior school year.

“We used to see about 800 students in the first month of the school year, and now we go from zero to 1,200 students in the first month,” Knowles said.

In 2019, Knowles was recognized as The Homeless Liaison of the Year by the National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth. She serves on Metro’s Homelessness Planning Council and was appointed by the governor to sit on three statewide councils to represent the concerns of families who are experiencing

homelessness. In her job with MNPS, she oversees the Homeless Education Resource Office (HERO) program, which is a federally funded program through the McKinney Vento Act that provides support for students who lack a fixed regular and adequate nighttime residence.

How do you count MNPS’ homeless population? And who qualifies for your programs?

Any student who fits that broad McKinney Vento definition, who lacks a fixed and adequate nighttime residence, qualifies. The majority of the verification occurs when families register for school because they will present to the school [administrators], and if they don’t have a lease in their name, then that triggers a different set of paperwork that asks questions about where they’re staying, are they staying in a temporary place, how long they’ve been there, etc. And then we get referrals that way.

We also receive referrals throughout the year from school staff, social workers, counselors, bus drivers, directly from families and from community providers.

In the past few years, you have moved the HERO program offices out of a trailer that was sitting next to the MNPS headquarters on Bransford Avenue to the former Buena Vista Elementary School in North Nashville. You have also expanded your team. Tell us about those changes.

We have moved into that vacant school space, and we now have the entire former school library that has been converted into a clothing store for families experiencing homelessness. We also have a food pantry where we offer hotel-friendly meals, which can be heated up in a microwave. We also have winter coats to ensure kids waiting at the bus stop are warm. And household items so when people go into housing they have a few things to start out.

We now have a team of six people. Prior to COVID we were a team of three, then during COVID we had special federal funding through the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act that allowed us to temporarily have a team of nine people. So, for a threeyear period we had extra funding that then expired, and now we are back to six folks. We have one full-time person who is fo -

cused on special transportation; we have two folks working directly with families and they have split the city in sectors [each working with families in their sector]; some folks work on community partnerships; we have someone who does the processing and eligibility work; and then myself.

What else would you like to see happening, so you are able to serve MNPS students who live in a housing crisis even more efficiently?

I would like to see better integration and quick communication among school staff and the various community providers. I am thinking about something that goes beyond the coordinated entry process, so when school staff have some of the kids staying at their office at the end of the school day, they have a phone number they can call that will quickly connect the family with a shelter for the evening. But it’s hard to get that immediate response for a variety of reasons. So, a quick and immediate response to connect families in a crisis with support, that would be nice.

You have been doing this work for many years. How has homelessness changed in Nashville in your opinion?

In the last two years, we have seen a significant increase in the number of long-term, low-income renters who are forced into homelessness due to gentrification, loss of Section 8 vouchers, and loss of affordable housing options. In my opinion, we see far more employed people. We see the working poor who are priced out of the housing market. We have seen the loss of affordable housing in Davidson County. I think in the last five years, families have been forced to move out of the county altogether.

And even with that displacement you see numbers of homeless students going up here in Davidson County?

Yes, for sure.

With all the data improvements in how we count the different unhoused populations, what are we, as a community, still missing? In other words, what populations are we mostly overlooking?

There is a big gap between the federal education definition of homelessness, which includes the families who are doubled up or those who are staying in motels that they are paying for on their own, and that narrower HUD definition.

When we look at those staying in motels who are working and are paying a high

weekly rate, but we have a [homelessness response system] where they do not qualify to be connected to service providers or someone to help them navigate them getting back into a place of their own. So, we essentially leave a lot of people to struggle on their own, and we’re not serving those children very well.

Can you briefly explain the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) definition of homelessness?

That is the very narrow definition of literal homelessness that includes folks who are in a shelter or on the street. And those are the only folks that the HUD definition covers.

About how many families are doubled-up, stay in motels, or in emergency shelters?

Right now, we see about 88 percent of families we serve that are doubled-up. (Editor’s note: Doubled- up is an informal term that is covered by the definition of homelessness that education departments use. It refers to families that share a living arrangement with family, friends, or others mostly due to hardship. They generally do not hold their own lease and can be asked to leave by the leaseholder at any time.)

Nationwide that regular number is between 78 and 90 percent. Then, we have about eight percent who stay in motels, and

the rest (four percent) are in emergency shelters. The shelter population is the smallest percentage of our families.

In fact, when the homeless service providers talk about families they serve, they are not counting the vast majority of the families we’re serving in the school system.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

I would like to see a shift in the conversation where we are not only thinking of the individuals out on the street corners as experiencing homelessness but rise to the challenge of meeting the needs of all people in our community who are unstably housed.

When we talk to our families who are doubled-up, we see how they bounce around. One week they live here, the next they stay there. I think it’s difficult for a lot of people to stop and recognize the challenges and frustrations that leave these families who truly have no place of their own in complicated situations where there are really no resources, and they are told they don’t qualify for services.

I have heard from providers that they are starting to see the children of families they served come back as parents. Do you see the same?

Oh yes. I’ve been doing this for 26 years, and I will never forget, back in the old family shelter in the late 90s, we had a family of an elementary school child who 15 years later came back as a parent. Housing insecurity has a long-term impact on kids who have not been raised in affordable, stable housing.

And then, there is always the great community call of engaging landlords, raising awareness, engaging for-profits, nonprofits, and all kinds of community partners — really anyone who can lean into the work. I think that’s desperately needed.

I invite anybody to think about family homelessness. it doesn’t get the press that encampments do, but it is certainly something that people can get behind if they have a better understanding of it.

How can people support your work?

Anybody who wants to donate or volunteer, they can contact me via email at catherine.knowles@mnps.org

We love volunteer manpower to help us pack clothes, sort through shoes and do all these things to get school items out to the kids.

Occasionally I have families who tell me they’re not the right kind of homeless. In a sense, we have a system that is set up to force people into shelter situations [to access resources]. But that isn’t exactly the solution for all of our families. Then after going into that shelter system, they still cannot get the resources they need to get back into housing.

Lifelong Activist Reflects on 67 Years of Social Justice Work

At 87 years old, Karl Meyer’s commitment to social justice is unwavering. For nearly seven decades, Meyer has been on the front lines of countless movements, advocating for the rights of a broad cross-section of communities. His journey as an activist began in New York City when he was just 20 years old. Inspired by the Catholic Worker Movement and Mahatma Gandhi, his first act of civil disobedience led to his arrest during a protest against compulsory nuclear air raid drills in 1957.

“Dorothy Day and Ammon Hennacy of The Catholic Worker were my strongest living mentors after my parents and after [Mahatma] Gandhi, who I started reading about the year he was assassinated,” Meyer said.

On Aug. 1, Meyer set out to test the response to breaking a Tennessee state law barring camping on state public property by setting up to rest on the Capitol lawn. While the state law went into place two years ago, Meyer wanted to see how officials would react after the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Grants vs. Johnson Pass said it is legal to punish someone for sleeping outside. Meyer was arrested by Tennessee State Troopers the morning after he slept on the lawn and

given a misdemeanor citation for criminal trespassing and one for disorderly conduct. He’s slated for an Aug. 23 hearing in Judge Aaron Holt’s courtroom downtown.

“I have a very strong sense of empathy with people who are poor, homeless, underpaid, disabled,” Meyer said during a second effort to sleep on the lawn on Aug. 7. “So that’s why I do this; the real activists are the folks who have to do this every single night.”

This sense of needing to raise the issue to the surface has been the driving force behind Meyer’s work, particularly in his advocacy for the homeless and those in need of affordable housing.

Over the course of his 67 years of activism, Meyer has been arrested numerous times.

“When I slept outdoors here with just a drop cloth and an old blanket, it really aroused my sense of empathy,” Meyer said. “I think about people who have to do that 365 days a year, and it drives me to keep going.”

In 1997, Meyer moved to Nashville, where he initially planned to focus on urban gardening. However, the city’s growing housing crisis soon caught his attention, and he shifted his efforts toward restoring vacant houses for low-income residents.

“We invested whatever money we had to buy vacant houses in North Nashville. I’m a carpenter by trade, and we restored these houses,” Meyer said on Aug. 7. “We’ve always had low-income people and friends from the Catholic Worker Movement, and others living with us in any spare room that we had so this is about that kind of sustained action.”

Meyer participated in a 71-day sit-in at the Tennessee State Capitol in 2005. Alongside other activists, Meyer protested against Gov. Phil Bredesen’s cuts to TennCare, which left hundreds of thousands of people without health insurance.

“It was insane that people were losing their healthcare because they couldn't get private insurance due to preexisting conditions,” Meyer said.

The sit-in, which involved camping out and sleeping in the Capitol’s corridors, drew significant media attention and highlighted the human cost of the TennCare cuts.

“We were arrested, but it was worth it,” he said.

Meyer points to a need for an intersectional view of advocacy. He has also been a vocal advocate for disability rights, participating in protests organized by the group

ADAPT, a national grassroots community that organizes disability rights activists. Meyer describes one particularly impactful action in which he and other activists blocked the exits of the Legislative Plaza in Nashville, preventing lawmakers from leaving the Capitol.

“I’ve never done activism with a more courageous group of people than ADAPT,” Meyer said, recounting a day spent in the pouring rain alongside activists in wheelchairs and others with disabilities. “It was drizzling rain almost the whole day, but those people were determined. They’re some of the bravest people I’ve ever worked with.”

Meyer, who is planning continued action over the next few weeks, is hoping to garner an audience with Gov. Bill Lee through this nonviolent approach.

“I've been active not only in advocating for just and decent and compassionate social policy, which Dorothy Day really strongly believed in, as many of my mentors do and did, but I've also been active in direct service and direct cooperation with homeless people and with low income people who need affordable housing,” Meyer said. “There is a need for both.”

PHOTOS BY ALVINE | STORY BY AMANDA HAGGARD

Left and bottom right: Karl Meyer engaged in an anti-war and anti-nuclear weapon protest at the Estes Kefauver Federal Building in 2001. Top right: Meyer in 2005 when several activists and others staged a sit-in in the Gov. Phil Bredesen's office and subsequently occupied the capitol for over two months in opposition to TennCare cuts.

Meyer has engaged in various housing actions over the years. Here is photographed with longtime activist Jane Hussain.

In 2006, Meyer protested alongside ADAPT's national organization, who was in town in support of the Americans with Disabilities Act. There was a die-in on the street just off the State Supreme Court Building.

THEME: BACK TO SCHOOL

62. Say "No!"

63. Animal's nose

64. Perceives with an eye

1. Jezebel's idol

2. Beheaded Boleyn

3. Plunder

4. Certain rays

5. Plural of #1 Across 6. Part of an eye, pl. 7. Witnessed 8. *Field of education 9. ____ Walker, American Girl doll

10. *Inspiration for circular charts, pl.

11. Acronym, abbr.

13. Zimbabwe's capital

14. Address to a woman

19. Nail salon file

22. Toothpaste type

23. *Marks in English

24. Hindu queen

25. "Hannah and Her

Sisters" director

26. End of line

27. Yogurt-based dip

28. *Opposite side over hypotenuse, pl.

29. Bald symbol

32. *____ monitor

33. Bigheadedness

36. *All-school get-together

38. Giuseppe ____ of opera fame

40. Temporary craze 41. Parthenogenetic

44. Recant or retract

46. *English homework, pl.

48. *Circle, e.g. 49. Paparazzi's target

50. Remote control option

51. Middle Eastern sultanate

52. "Follow me!"

53. Genealogy plant

54. Agitate

55. Puppy barks

56. Antonym of keep

*It involves elements 56. Cuban dance 57. Burkina Faso neighbor

The Cure for Cancer

Special Thanks to healthwyze.org and their video documentary “The Cancer Report.” Which provided the bulk of historical and scientific research material contained in this work.

WRITTEN BY CHRIS

SCOTT

They’re killing off the people of, This Great Nation, Attempting to prevent over population. Malnutrition and toxins and radiation, Is turning us all into Cancer patients. I cried and I cried when my father died. They said it was the Cancer that took his life. But I can’t deny that everything they tried, Was treatment that no human being, Can survive.