CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – At the beginning of the year, the Clarksville City Council voted to postpone a resolution that would have created a homeless outreach center with expanded services at The Well property on Union Street. Now, after their latest meeting on Thursday, they’re prepared to put the proposal on the shelf.

At the end of January, Clarksville Urban Ministries announced that the organizers were going to hit pause on the process, while the City of Clarksville made it clear that the resolution might be tabled indefinitely.

This came after residents and downtown business owners spoke out about problems they had with the proposal, with the main focus being the location. “We know that some residents are worried about the impact of the location on nearby neighborhoods and businesses, and we want to acknowledge and honor those concerns,” Urban Ministries said in a previous public statement.

All of this led to Councilperson Stacey Streetman to say Thursday that she is prepared to motion for the indefinite postponement of the resolution during next week’s council meeting.

‘It did anything but fail’

Clarksville Now reached out to Urban Ministries Executive Director Jodi McBryant following Thursday’s meeting, and she said, “I have seen comments from people on social media or statements they have made in other news stories, where they said that the proposed plan failed. It did anything but fail. This proposal brought an enormous amount of attention to the issues and barriers facing our unhoused community and brought stakeholders and leaders to the discussion table.

“Clarksville Area Urban Ministries is moving forward in cooperation with the City of Clarksville, the Economic Development Council, business owners and other members of the community on a quest for a better, more permanent solution for our homeless friends. Clarksville Area Urban Ministries is dedicated to finding a solution that is in the best interest of the people we serve and the community we love,” McBryant said.

How the plan came about

According to previous reports, this process has been three years in the making, as all parties involved had been on the lookout for a building that can be designated for serving Clarksville’s homeless population. That search ended when they discussed the idea of moving into The Well.

| MORE: Does downtown need homeless outreach center? Community debates expanded location

McBryant previously said she reached out to Jeff Shocklee, director of The Well, operated by Trenton Crossing Church of Christ, to see if they would be interested in working out a partnership. As conversations progressed, The Well agreed to sell the building. The Well property was appraised at $1.28 million, but the proposition is for the city, using Community Block Grant funds, to purchase it for $750,000.

The plan was to add laundry facilities, showers and ADA-accessible bathrooms to the building, at 224 Union St. on the south side of downtown, while also expanding services already offered, including meals and community support.

Previous reporting on project

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