VENDOR WRITING

THE POLITICS OF HOUSING

BY VICKY B.

This past year I’ve had the pleasure of being on the Homeless Planning Council and some various committees associated with the Continuum of Care here in Nashville because of my lived experience. It’s not only been an eye opener, but a learning process as well. Mostly it’s been frustrating to sit in meeting after meeting and not hear about new affordable housing units when affordable housing clearly ends homelessness. However, they did see 500 homeless individuals into affordable housing and closed down a large encampment.

Now with the recent resignation of Judith Tackett, the head of Metro Homeless Impact Division, it’s being proposed that an independent office of housing and homelessness be formed. Open Table Nashville stated, “They need to pioneer solutions and partnerships that will not only work, but will impact the lives of countless Nashvillians who are struggling to obtain and maintain affordable housing.” I’m not sure if this is the answer, but what we’re doing so far isn’t working at building more affordable housing.

Without lived experience you really can’t understand what homeless people go through every day. Social Workers have a bachelor’s or master’s degree, but no lived experience. How can people in that field really know how it is unless they experience it themselves? They don’t, so they rely on book smarts and fail at street smarts and eventually fail at real housing for people in homelessness. My idea is to give those who want to be social workers a backpack, a sleeping bag, take away their money, credit cards and phones and have them return in a week. Make them find a way to live outdoors in an encampment to gain the valuable knowledge and experience that’s needed for these important roles. Several people do outreach and climb in the so-called trenches giving aid to the homeless, but never actually live it. They can see what it does, but the experience of it, I feel, is an important part of being a Social Worker. Books aren’t everything. They can’t explain everything. Some things you just have to experience for yourself to really have a grasp. This is probably why I’ve never held much stock in social workers and outreach workers because lived

experience is rarely in their resume. However, they do play a very important role in keeping homeless people well fed, clothed and, when possible, sheltered for the night. They also help keep them up to date with housing resources and act as a liaison in some situations.

I got really excited when Mayor John Cooper put together a task force to aid in the creation of affordable housing and they put together a plan, which basically said they needed money to build more. WOW I could have told you that after watching many go through homelessness, including myself.

Basically, right now you have to wait for the waitlist to open up which really means you have to wait for residents to die before you get a spot in housing. A year of seeing the politics of housing has been frustrating and disgusting.

The best movement I’ve ever seen happened while working on the Emergency Cold Weather Task Force. This group of people moved mountains to ensure that homeless people had a safe warm place in the winter months due to the fairgrounds not being available.

MDHA is the largest supporter of affordable housing here in Nashville, but more is desperately needed. MDHA provides affordable housing with 5,700 units through their 23 community properties and another 7,000 through Section 8 vouchers scattered about Davidson County with only 75 more in the near future. Sure, many new apartments have been built here in Nashville, but they don’t accept Section 8 and they aren’t set up to be called affordable housing. Nashville is growing at an alarming rate while leaving those who are unhoused by the wayside.

Changes have to be made. Change to what we’ve done previously is the only thing that’ll end the homelessness situation in Nashville. Affordable housing ends homelessness. In order to have a firm grasp on the homeless situation more affordable housing is needed and more people in power with actual lived experience. The reality is we can and must do better. We must become aggressive with housing or homelessness will never end. Enough of the band aids. We need to move on to proven solutions and that’s affordable housing.