CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – In a standing-room-only event, more than 180 people attended a public meeting Friday night to discuss a plan by the City of Clarksville and Clarksville Urban Ministries to expand homelessness outreach services downtown. The proposal is for the city to purchase The Well outreach center, using grant funding, and hand over operations to Urban Ministries.
The crowd was divided on the issue, and officials heard impassioned, sometimes angry, opinions.
Background of proposal
After the ordinance was moved forward by the city Finance Committee, Urban Ministries Executive Director Jodi McBryant told Clarksville Now this process has been three years in the making, as they have been looking for a building that can be designated for serving Clarksville’s homeless population.
City Neighborhood and Community Services Director Michelle Austin previously said the plan is 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 on services already offered, including meals and community support.
She also discussed Urban Ministries’ emergency warming shelter and said the Madison Street United Methodist Church has sheltered the unhoused for the last three years. Austin said the services would transition the individuals “already being served at this location” one block down.
Friday night’s meeting
At Friday’s meeting in the fellowship hall of the Madison Street UMC, McBryant spoke on some of the misconceptions of homelessness.
“What you might think of when you think of Urban Ministries, is the building right up here on Third Street,” McBryant said. “That’s actually our Grace Assistance building. So, that’s where we currently serve our homeless friends, as well as our low-income folks with other things that they need like rental assistance and food.
| VIDEO: Click here for video of the public meeting on the homeless outreach center.
“About three years ago, keeping (up) with our tradition of seeing an unmet need and stepping up to that plate, there was no place for those experiencing homelessness to go when the temperatures were below freezing, except for the streets, their encampments, wherever they could find.”
McBryant said that’s when they partnered with the Madison Street UMC to establish the emergency warming shelter, which is only open when it is under 35 degrees for three consecutive days.
They continued to look for other properties they could use because of the restrictions at Madison Street UMC. “We’re guests in this building; our guests are guests of this building,” she said. “They have a ministry to run here; they also run a pre-school. So, we work around all of that, and we do so very well together, but it’s not meeting the needs of where we want to be. That’s why we’re looking to expand our services.”
McBryant said they want to have the emergency warming shelter stay open longer. “With our emergency warming shelter right now, we have to leave by 7 a.m. in the morning, and we have to turn our friends out onto the streets. … It doesn’t allow us much time for case management to really work with them about meeting goals, seeing how we can further help their situations.”
She said the goal would be to shift some additional services they currently offer on Third Street and move them to The Well location, in addition to the services they currently have in place.
Idea of moving into The Well
Knowing The Well’s history and mission, McBryant 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 some kind of partnership.
“Out of the blue one day, I called Jeff, and I said, ‘I want to talk to you about a vision we have at Urban Ministries,'” she said. “I said I don’t know what this looks like, I don’t know if this is something that is even feasible, but I want to have a conversation about it.”
McBryant said they were initially told the church was not looking to sell The Well property. However, as conversations progressed, their minds were changed because of the vision in place for the location, she said.
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McBryant said they want to continue to work with the community already being served at The Well. “The other reason is we’re right here, and we serve that same group of people on Third Street every single day. Right here, we serve a portion of that same group of people at our emergency warming shelter.
“So, we were looking for one location with this, and throughout this whole process, on our hearts and minds, was our community,” she said. “The idea is that we can provide a better service to them and ease the burden that the downtown area is experiencing, some of the fears that you may be here to talk about tonight.”
She said she knows of complaints about homeless people sleeping in businesses back lots and doorways. “We want to get them off the properties that you own and into a structured environment that’s safe for them and safe for you.”
McBryant said the location is close to additional resources that are needed, as well as transportation. “The farther out you try to put something, the less effective it’s going to be,” she said.
Misconceptions of the homeless
McBryant addressed some of the misconceptions about the homeless population. “We talk about the homeless as if it’s this faceless body and blanket of people. Those of you that have come and served in our emergency warming shelter, they have stories. These are people that have experienced life catastrophes. They are double amputees, they’re homeless veterans.”
McBryant shared a story about a homeless man named Andrew who is on oxygen, has diabetes and has kidney failure. “Along with multiple other things, and being in and out of the hospital, he’s one of the friends we serve at our emergency warming shelter.
“We’re seeing a rise in those who are experiencing homelessness,” she said. “But one of the demographics we’re seeing the most rise of is elderly people. People who are over 65 years of age that fall into that category of Social Security and not being able to obtain affordable housing.”
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McBryant said another question they received was whether expanding these services would bring additional homeless people to Clarksville. She said while she doesn’t know if that will be the case, she doesn’t see that happening.
“We already served in our office 523 unhoused friends last year. We serve a different population than Manna Cafe, and there are friends that don’t come to see us much at all, but we’re hoping to be able to change that through our partnership with the YAIPAK and their outreach to the encampments. So that we provide a place and get them off of properties that you own and into a structured environment that is safe for them and safe for you,” she said.
“Even though we don’t have a facility, we’re already seeing people that are coming to Clarksville looking, seeking because other places are filled up around the area.”
Purchase would come through Community Block Grant
Austin provided some details on the ordinance set to go before the City Council this next week. “That is a proposition for the City of Clarksville to purchase The Well property, that appraises at $1.28 million, for $750,000. We plan to do that through utilizing our Community Block Grant funds,” she said.
Community Block Grants are federally funded and distributed to states, cities and counties, such as the City of Clarksville, specifically for the purpose of serving low- to moderate-income residents. “That is through public services, through our non-profits, as well as public facilities,” Austin said.
Over the past few years, she said that the city has used that funding to provide playground improvements in low-income areas, as well as parks and the SafeHouse renovations.
Austin said the Community Block Grant funds would only go toward buying the property, then the city would enter into a long-term lease with Urban Ministries for them to operate the building at no charge.
McBryant said their lease agreement would be based off taking care of the building and operating the facility, using their own nonprofit Urban Ministries funding – not city taxpayer money.
Homeless man shares story of having nowhere to go
During public comments, Dave Hood told the crowd he’s one of homeless people served by Urban Ministries. He said his wife had died, and his Social Security wasn’t enough for him to afford a place to live.
“I was a college professor for 12 years, so I understand everyone’s concerns,” he said. “A lot of people may recognize me. I live in the park; I live at the Downtown Commons. … I saw that when she mentioned the comment that homeless shelters mean we’ll have more homeless, everyone nodded their head. No, that’s not the (case). Nobody intentionally becomes homeless. If you think so, come down there and stay with us for one night. See if that’s where you want to live.
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“Luckily, they opened the warming shelter, because I don’t have anywhere else to go. I try not to sleep in someone’s doorway; I try not to sleep in front of somebody’s business. I don’t want to intrude on anybody. I’m trying to be respectful of the neighborhood.”
At the end of his time, Hood said that he is hopefully getting housing assistance in the future, which drew applause from the audience.
Resident, downtown business owner speak out
Joyce Wyrick, who lives two doors down from The Well, acknowledged that the community needs a shelter, however, she said it should not be next to a neighborhood. Wyrick said that she’s worried about her property value decreasing with a move like this.
McBryant responded that the homeless population is already in the area, and The Well is already serving a portion of that population, so her property value shouldn’t “tank” like she expects it to.
Downtown business owner Thomas Brennan said everyone in Clarksville believes a facility is needed, but he doesn’t like the proposed location because it’s not what downtown Clarksville needs.
“There’s been $200 million in downtown investment to try and stabilize a fragile area already,” he said. “Downtown is struggling. Downtown is not getting the help it needs, sometimes from the city, downtown is not getting what it deserves.”
Brennan said that as compassionate as they want to be, we should ask if the community want this, in what he considers to be the entrance of downtown Clarksville.
When will the shelter be open, how many beds?
Local attorney Stanley Ross asked for clarification on when the emergency shelter would be open. He also asked how many beds are planned.
McBryant said it will operate just like their current emergency warming shelter; however, it will also be open during extreme heat, tornado conditions and flooding events. She estimated the shelter would operate with 50 temporary cots, with the ability to possibly house 60 if conditions worsen.
She said that if this is approved, Urban Ministries would be proactive in reaching out to the downtown business owners and residents to see how it’s working, or if it’s not working in the way they had hoped.
‘That’s a very sobering and humbling place to be’
County Commissioner David Shelton said there have been times he’s wondered if he might end up among the unhoused. “That’s a very sobering and humbling place to be,” he said.
He said downtown Clarksville has the resources and transportation that the homeless population needs. “We have a number of different charities that are all based and centered in the downtown area today, because the need is there. If this doesn’t happen at all, the chances of this need going away are 0%,” Shelton said.
One attendee suggested that a task force be assembled to continue to discuss and work toward a solution, and later in the meeting, that idea was seconded.
The ordinance to purchase The Well goes to the Clarksville City Council, who are set to take it up at their executive session on Jan. 6, 4:30 p.m., in Council Chambers, 106 Public Square.
Chris Smith contributed to this report.
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