CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – The Clarksville City Council has unanimously approved a motion to indefinitely postpone a proposal that would have turned The Well property into a homeless outreach center with expanded services downtown.
However, those involved in the project have not ruled anything out in moving forward, including revisiting The Well property on Union Street in the future, as they wait for the results of a third-party study.
City of Clarksville, Urban Ministries speak on project future
Prior to Thursday’s council meeting, Director of Clarksville Neighborhood & Community Services Michelle Austin spoke with Clarksville Now about what comes next.
“The plan to postpone indefinitely by City Council vote does not necessarily mean that the Union Street location is officially and permanently off the table for consideration,” Austin said. “We are awaiting the results of a third-party study to formally guide us on what works best in terms of assisting our unhoused in Clarksville, especially in times of extreme weather conditions.
“We recognize that this is a long-term evaluation process, and everyone’s opinion is respected as we move through it. But we are ultimately committed to helping those in our midst who need us in times of economic hardship, through no fault of their own.”
‘We want to make sure we’re doing the best for everybody’
Clarksville Urban Ministries Executive Director Jodi McBryant told Clarksville Now that when they hit pause on The Well, that was an opportunity to make sure they were working with the entire community, including downtown business owners and the other stakeholders.
“We want to make sure we’re doing the best for everybody,” said McBryant. “We want this to be a community effort. … We looked at all the data, all the information, and listened to what the community was saying, and asked ourselves, ‘How we can do this to best benefit everyone and still accomplish our mission?'”
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McBryant said the idea isn’t going away. “Taking a step back doesn’t mean we’re never doing this, or we’re not moving forward,” she said. “We’re doing something and hopefully doing it in the way we’re going about it, will bring about the right thing that we need for our clients.”
McBryant said that this conversation includes looking for a permanent homeless shelter, not just an emergency weather one.
“In the long run, we might end up with something that is really a better fit for what we actually need in the community,” McBryant said. “But we are working with other stakeholders so that we are trying to find the right fit and place. Maybe it is still The Well; maybe there’s something else in a better opportunity.”
McBryant said that while it is at the beginning stages, the study will include talking to downtown business owners, other community leaders, as well as direct service providers for the unhoused population.
Previous reporting on project
- Organizers ‘pause’ proposal for homeless outreach center
- City Council discusses proposal for homeless outreach center
- City holds discussion meeting on The Well to list risks, solutions | PHOTOS
- More details on homeless outreach center, plans for next meeting
- Does downtown need homeless outreach center? Community debates location
- City addresses proposed purchase of The Well | COMMENTARY
- Urban Ministries urges Clarksville to attend meeting on The Well
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