Metropolitan Council - Regular Meeting

as chair, but uh public health and safety for any questions he has and then to uh vice chair Spain for any questions that he has and then open it up to the body. So, um you have the floor. Director Calvin, if you could introduce yourself and your team. Hello there. Thank you all for having us. I'm April Calvin, the director of the office of homeless services. And to my right, I have Joseph Marsh. He is our finance and administrative assistant um assistant director. And in the back I have several members of our team. I'd like to thank you all for having us and thank our team for coming. I would not be able to do this work without them. Each and every one of them. Um as a two-year-old department, we are eager to share the great strides that we've made with and some of the challenges that we had along the way. Addressing the needs of our unhoused takes the entire community. This work is not done in a silo, nor is it done alone. Therefore, thanking Metro Council, thanking the mayor's office and his administration, our budget and finance team that's worked closely with us for the last three years, and community partners and service providers that tirelessly helped in doing this work. You'll see the agenda here in front of you and um I won't spend a lot of time there, but here's the list of we'll move forward to the next slide. Yeah, here's a list of um carefully constructed leadership team. Joseph Marsh, Allison Canway is our assistant director of planning and research and helping to drive our COC conversations. And um our entire team is 30 employees with Metro Budget, three reoccurring grant-f funded positions and 15 funded ARPA positions. Our executive leadership

team is um I just said that sorry. Um we typically carry about very low vacancy rate. We this at this point in time we currently have four vacancies. Our team was actually built utilizing ARPA funds. We took on some very intricate um programs like the coordinated entry call center um staffing for oversight for Strobble as we helped to uh deploy and open and operate Strobble facility or housing options and um expanding our landlord engagement team. So it's really vital that we talk a little bit about those 15 um FTEES locally. We have the passion that comes along with public private partnership along with leading a large continum of care and we cannot do that work with the additional 50 agencies that help participate in the services that we provide. key critical functions here would be um leading and convening, planning and processing the homeless efforts in our community. So we are the data managers and that's our homeless management information systems I uh HMIS and as data managers we've worked really hard to increase data entry, increase access points, increase collection and increase the overall quality of the data that we have for three years. Our outreach team has entered unsheltered homelessness into this database that's never been entered before. Also, the cold weather shelter that we now operate, that data has never been entered into our HMIS system. And partnering with the large local emergency shelter here, we've been really instrumental in getting that data and um building a bridge to have an automatic sync into our system. It has not been seamless, so I don't want to

make it sound that way for my HMIS. Um, Megan Vickers in the back. Um, we, you know, we understand that comprehensive data gives us a deeper dive as we look into the homeless crisis here in our city. As resource managers, we operate the coordinated entry line, meaning that some of those ARPA funded positions we brought on in order to assume the coordinated entry line that once was operated by Metro Social Services. And so that gave us an additional four positions and that line is instrumental in connecting people to the vital resources that we have available or the nonprofits that receive federal funds from the um continuum of care. So what does that really mean? Like we OS does not have a case load. I think there's a lot of missing information there. OHS doesn't typically carry a case load. We don't provide a lot of direct service delivery. We re we rely on our community partners for housing supportive services and our goal is to increase access to services and housing options by operating a system that allows for increased flow into our database and increased outflow in out of homelessness. We have a robust landlord engagement team that was built with several of those positions as well. And that's part of the resource management that we have. And you know, a lot of our individuals have huge barriers to housing. And why is it important to have a landlord engagement team to give our clients and our unhoused Nashville citizens equal access to housing that they may not qualify for. They may not have three times the income. They may not have a great credit score and um they may or may not have a criminal background. But having a landlord engagement team to advocate for them on their behalf has been instrumental in moving um people

into housing at a swifter rate. We just had a call with Norm and um from MDHA and he was able to express to us this is the first time ever that he's seen this many vouchers actually utilized and not just sitting in pockets but actually deployed where people are getting housing. We're also asset managers and that's a new thing for us. Strobble is two years old now and our office has a team that is helping to kind of guide the practices ensuring that as the Paul who's the funded agency there um ensuring that the services that are provided there are the services that are needed. We work closely with them daily. We have a team that's deployed there and I'm looking to kind of evolve that um position into connecting with our landlord engagement team and some other services that we have as far as asset management needs. Um our office actually is the office that has a very large outreach team and that's a new initiative for the last two years. Our outreach team has been instrumental in that data conne collection connecting people to the services and the housing opportunities that's come along. OS last but not least but building partnership. OS was elected by the community to be the lead on federal services or federal um funding here in Nashville. It's called the collaborative applicant. So we're responsible for helping to deploy, write the large application, help our performance evaluation committee with the ranking and the reviewing and allowing that community process to take place. But there's about 150 page application that we're responsible for um drafting and writing. And we've been successful thus far in increasing um almost doubling or doubling that funding source. You'll see that in your um package. There is the agencies that receive the federal fund, the date that

they're awarded, and the amount of award that they all receive. I do want to say thanks to Wally Deetsz and our legal team and the mayor's office for um being an, you know, unflapable as it relates to some of the federal changes here with um this new administration and um they've been instrumental in continuing that fund for at least this next year. Our operating budget here you'll see on the screen local dollars um include staff cost nonprofit partnership that we deploy funds to and cold weather shelter and there's some other things there as well. Um we have local flexible dollars which is an innovative process and approach that um what we realize is not one single path is going to help end homelessness for all individuals because all of the root causes are different and the federal funds that we receive mainly are focused on the most vulnerable. Federal government has a coordinated entry process that we operate as well and it's focused on the most vulnerable individuals. So that means people that may not have some of the um co-occurring disorders or reoccurring issues or um long length of stays may not get housing through that coordinated entry pro um program. So what we realized and you all were instrumental in helping to fund last year was what we consider local flexible dollars, Metro rapid response funding so that those individuals may not ever really need to um wait for that level of trauma to um so that they can get a higher score to be funded through the coordinated entry process. We also, you'll see here the other federal dollars that we receive, which is continuum of care planning grant, which we use that for conferences, trainings, training our community, having local uh national leaders come

here locally and to operate the HMIS database. Coordinated entry is that CE we're talking a lot of acronyms here in this world. and then CDBG which is community development block grant that we received from um it's a pass through from MDHA. One thing two last things that I'm extremely proud about is the state IPS program and the state IPS program is really like employment navigation for our population. It's how do we reaclimate them back into employment or find employers that are willing to um willing to offer them positions along with understanding their circumstances and maybe if they need help with a pair of clean clothes or steel toe boots, those are things that we can help with as well. And then we have private partnership, private funding with the partnership with community solutions. They're working on a veteran systems lead and addressing veterans homelessness and has identified a position that would help with that situation uh with veterans. Next slide, please. Um comprehensive funding, comprehensive funding, um investments, local nonprofits. You'll see here out of our budget, we out of our normal metro budget, we fund um eight nonprofits to the tune of $4 million. We have an $11 million budget and $4 million goes to those um agencies that we have there. So we fund initiatives like medical respit, family sheltering, critical time intervention, sore, which is a way to help unhoused individuals with disabilities connect to disability SSI, SSDI, disability income. We also help with funding youth sheltering, addiction and recovery, and housing services with

welcome home ministries. Why is this important? DV is on the rise. You will probably hear a lot of um conversation around DV. Domestic violence has increased 28%. Um Nashville, Tennessee for the last two years has ranked two and three second of all states and second of all, second or third of all cities for the greatest number of overdoses here in Nashville. And in the postcoid era, mental health crisis is on the rise as well. All of these are symptoms of homelessness that disproportionately affect our unhoused population. As a community, we're focused on chronic homelessness. And you'll see in some of our funding initiatives, chronic homelessness, family homelessness, youth homelessness, veterans, unsheltered um is a focus mainly because residing outside, you're more exposed to harmful effects of the elements. As previously shared, addressing unsheltered homelessness work that we've done in the past with encampments um has not disproportionately affected the demographics or spectrum of individuals that we serve. Next slide. Here's some achievements that you'll see. OHS is turning these investments um into larger impacts. And so increasing we talked a little bit about increasing the notes are a little bit different here if you don't mind. Um we talked a little bit about increasing the COC funding and um being able to double that. We've talked about um housing. This year our community service providers housed 17 or 1,793 individuals. Last year was 1919. And um as we're looking at federal

funds, you know, there's been a little bit of um some stop starts along the way in a lot of the funding initiatives here mainly because you know agencies were fearful that funding would not be available. And then second once, you know, Wally Deets and his team has really been instrumental in helping to move that um barrier, we started back noticing um monthly increases in the individuals that are being housed. And then Strobble, that number there is. Oh, you know what? If I put my glasses on. Thank you. Uhhuh. There we go. Um, that number there for Strobble is 50. Um, oh, that number there for Strobble is we've housed 119 individuals that um this year through Strobble. And then there's 53, which is the record number record number of nights for sheltering when I'm thinking of our asset management. and then building partnerships. Our community, we've had 90 community trainings. When when we pulled this number together, I thought this is not a true number, but between trainings, u resource fairs, events, educational opportunities throughout our entire department, 90 within one year. Our department is um focused on a couple of phases as far as like becoming a new department. You know, that was phase one. and we were able to grow our staff. Phase two was securing a baseline of accurate data, robust data, demonstrating the um how to integrate that data into the largest from the largest shelter in town. Phase three, hosting local conferences and trainings. And as you'll see, it's our I feel like it's our duty to help bring national leaders and best practices, evidence-based practices here to Nashville. We will have on in your packet, you'll also see June 23rd, which is our second annual homeless symposium, and we've got some really great speakers lined up.

Um, another thing I do want to highlight here is Strobble was awarded the Urban Land Institute award last year and this year the Urban Land Institute was um conference was held here. The national conference was held here. There was 4,500 individuals that came here. We did a tour of some of our funded partners like the villages at Glen Cliff Room in the end and Strobble. This slide um I I use the word dire when I when I think about cold weather shelter in extreme weather. We served 53 nights. 53 nights of operating the cold weather shelter. It was unprecedented number of nights with storm fern in play as well. 12 of those were 24 hours and most of them were consecutive days. We also operated two shelters at one time. OS thanks to the Salvation Army for allowing us to utilize their large gym on along with utilizing our um cold weather shelter that is in um Council Lady Gamble's district. And you'll see here's some data. The highest number that we noticed in shelter was 428. And we typically partner with room in the end national rescue mission to triage during maybe like a week or two probably two weeks during the um highest or coldest number of days which typically is within January. And we have triage days there where we have regular daily calls with them. We notice, you know, um triaging if there's a need that they have or if there's a need that we may have. It's been a very great partnership. And within our cold weather shelter, we've also brought on um the health department who's providing some

behavioral health care, uh medical, Nashville General Hospital, and the health department actually provided nurses on site at the cold weather shelter, which was the first of its kind, and looking at things like that that helps to overall decrease the overall cost to the city from 911 calls or medical um concerns. Then we also have brought our coordinated entry team to the shelter to provide onsite data entry and connecting individuals that may need a new vaspedat or may need assistance with getting their documents. We've been able to do that. Um Strobble. So I talked about this a little bit when I got my notes all mixed up up here. Um 191 individuals have been housed. It's a 90 unit apartment complex. like to say state-of-the-art riverfront property. I think that's something that you all as Metro Council members should see if you've not been by there. It is a beautiful property that Metro owns and operates. Um 63% of the individuals that live there are or were experiencing chronic level homelessness. 63%. That's a huge number. We tried to balance it out a little bit with 50/50, but understanding the need is dire outside, we knew that we wanted to um push that envelope just a little bit. um stronger outcomes. Investing in permanent housing definitely gives us stronger outcomes. You'll see here permanent housing. This is important why um providing permanent housing will help us with addressing homelessness like no other. For every $1 we spend as a city on permanent housing, it saves us $2.70 for every $1. What we also know is for every one person housed, 2.5 are entering into homelessness. Whether there's prevention

and diversion or evictions or you know all of the reasons why um this pyramid will show you a lot of the um data points here that we've gotten some from our national leaders. And what's not depicted on this pyramid is the harmful effects of unsheltered homelessness to individuals. Nashville is embarking on um securing a great baseline of understanding what our data is. I think you all have been very instrumental. You all as Metro Council and the mayor's office have been instrumental in helping to meet the demand when asked. We're deploying federal or local dollars. We're deploying local dollars for Metro rapid response so that people that are experiencing, you know, firsttime homelessness or situational homelessness or episodal episodes of homelessness will not um need chronic level homelessness intervention. Um maybe about four years ago exactly o um June of October of 2022, there was the deployment of $50 million. Uh 25 million of those went to MDHA and planning department for housing creation. You'll see that it created 735 units of housing and the other 25 million went to the service providers there. You'll see on the screen and it was a very comprehensive package. That package allowed us to serve 200 uh 2,769 individuals within that time span. And it allowed us to house almost 1,600

individuals. That landlord engagement referral process is um all the way from service providers needing rental assistance, furniture vouchers, um helping to deploy minor repairs to get a unit ready for housing. It was a very comprehensive package and I'm just pleased to share that that package did exactly what national studies state are great remedies for addressing the problem of homelessness here that we have here in Nashville. Next slide. on our FY27 funding request. There's the point in time count. Um, our funding request will replace ARPA funds. The top three priorities was directly related to replacing ARPA funds that will be sunsetting this June. Our pit count, you'll see um for the last several years have really kind of held the line there. um the practice of providing prevention and diversion efforts we can definitely strengthen which will hopefully help to bring that trend down. Um pick count for this year you know we we're working with HUD we've we've updated them in HUD we're just waiting for them to be certified by HUD so that we can release them there will be a press release and we'll share that information um once HUD has certified those numbers. Um the reason that our focus is on the staff transitioning into metro budget is because you know 15 of those positions are were key intricate positions that would help with our overall um solidifying those FTEEs would help with our overall staffing need. meaning

um replacing the positions as far as like the coordinated entry call center. As I said earlier, our office was developed with those positions in mind, knowing that we needed those key positions and then also um key financial situations or um financial best fiscal practices so that we have checks and balances in place within our office and then the strobal as well. Um also replacing community-based case management. Why is this important? This is really important because housing individuals the only way that they'll stay housed and remain housed is having that ongoing supportive services deployed into the homes working with them closely. So this would be grants that would be funded granted out to some of the nonprofits that you've seen on the screen there or helping to um bridge the gap that may happen if these funds were to go once these funds go away. And then ARPA interim housing also seeking some prevention and diversion funds within this budget. There's our overall budget request. The um top three are shaded blue because that's typically what signals to us it's been put into the mayor's priority. Um you'll see that there's other things there. I mentioned those top three are positions, um community- based case management, and the interim housing options that we currently have. And then um the others that are listed there would be great opportunities to help with closing the front door of homelessness like prevention and diversion efforts. Um looking to work with Metro Action Commission if those were awarded and then the um funding for MNPD. do want to chat just a little bit about that as it relates to um connecting with um downtown initiatives, MNPD or even the nightlife outreach efforts. We receive a

lot of calls. What we know is the coordinated entry is a small pool of funds that is dedicated for the most vulnerable and seeking other alternative innovative solutions. I feel like it's our duty to um continue to ask. Our overall budget request is administrative operate replacing operational um funding needs and key um functions that will help with closing the front door into homelessness revenue. I like to say that we like to go out and get as many grants as we can, as many as you all will allow. Starts with you all. But um federal, local, state, you'll see and public private partnership. We've secured all of those within our office. Um also departmental studies and needs, the Vaspat you guys may have heard, has been an outdated tool that we have been working for about a year and a half with the community on um a pilot of changing out those questions, coming up with a a new assessment. There's not a new assessment that HUD wholeheartedly endorses and they advise communities to come up with their own for the needs of their own community. And so we've worked really hard with a small core group, a small work group and having some national leaders come in. We've actually started a pilot in comparing viaspat data to my coordinated entry manager Tally. Dr. Tally's in the back. She wants to make sure I get this right. So we have been um connecting with um comparing the viaspadat with this nash tool and comparing that data as like a test to see if it's ringing the same. What's important here is what we know is there's some key markers where they can't get all of the points for all of the things, right? It'll be a true way to depict how vulnerable they are. And

so there's some points that will be assigned to unsheltered points that are assigned to, you know, mothers experiencing pregnancy or in late trimester of pregnancy. Extra points for seniors. Um so we we think we have a really great handle on how to measure those um changes from the Vaspad to the Nash tool. Um our lovely administrative of um assistant of fin sorry AD uh finance and administration has um already submitted a request for a cargo van a lot of times when we are helping to move an individual we don't have the tools let alone the vehicles to be able to do that so strengthening our um our fleet would be important and then it our cold weather shelter that we inherited and we love we have um increased the um technical needs there at um at our cold weather shelter. And so may like to talk just a little bit more about what's next. You know, as a department, we went through those four phases and um we're looking that you know to build our robust portfolio of funding opportunities. Metro and local service providers cannot solve homelessness alone. So increasing connection with state, federal, faith-based, philanthropic community is great. And um you probably see some information in your package about Clutch Consulting and Community Solutions. There's some great partners that's done great work in places like Denver, Dallas, Austin, New Orleans, Atlanta, and they're they'll actually here this week. And so we're going to they they're having their department or their agency um training here. And so we're going to have them communicate with our homeless planning council tomorrow and maybe the swap

committee. Just want to make sure that we're sharing the information that as we receive it for complete transparency and ensuring that we're bringing the community along whenever we're looking to work with partners. Um, I'd like to just say thank you once again for your support, encouragement, and um, kind words that you guys have always offered along the way. Don't forget that June 23rd is our local homeless planning council, sorry, is our local homelessness symposium. We wanted to make sure that we did not have that on the Wednesday after a council meeting like last year, which was really difficult for several of you all to um, attend. Thank you all for allowing us the time to share. Thank you, Director Calvin. Chair Huffman.

Thank you, Chair. Thank you, Director, for being here and for the presentation. You answered a couple of my questions. I wanted to dive into a couple things, though. First off, just the overall demand, what that's looking like within our county. uh we're I think all in this room seeing increases in the population and that's that's not a testament to you and that's not a testament to anything. That's a systematic issue that we're dealing with in this country right now. You know, I mean, we're I'm from Greenville, Tennessee, and that's a town that when I grew up, there was never any homeless people, but now you go back to Greenville and there's homeless people there. And like people don't really have a grasp that, you know, this is a huge issue. So, like, how how is that how is that factoring in to your decision- making right now? um as you're as you're looking at the next year just to start off with my questions.

Thank you for that. We are we look at our data regularly. Um my team oftentimes joke that I am always asking where's the data? Show me the data. That's an internal joke for us but because I don't make a move without reviewing the data. And you know our pit count has kind of held steady for the last two to three years. you know, 4% increase the year before that, like a 2% decrease. Um, and so understanding the funding stream that went along with that, that ARPA investment was huge in um, sorry, I can't see you. That ARPA investment was huge in helping us to kind of tow the line there, meaning that we were able to deploy those funds, which for the last two years, all of my requests have been to replace those um, funds. And this year you'll see there was even more innovative approaches or requests as far as connecting with prevention and diversion and metro action commission um connecting with other departments to help offset what we know is the one path through the federal government of utilizing coordinated entry is not going to end homelessness for our community. So looking at multiple streams and multiple opportunities here.

Thank you. And with that with the data. So you've now been how many years now into two? We're two years then.

Two years in. So when we initially got that money in 2022, we obviously we didn't have really even from a data standpoint an accurate depiction of what homelessness looked like in Davidson County. And just for comparison too, so a peer city of ours, Austin got a 120 million I believe two years ago and the only thing that was different was they had a count. So with that, like how how has that changed your applications for grants? Have you seen more success since you've had more accurate data? I think we've seen more success as a community because keeping their steady with 2% decrease or 4% increase whereas other communities probably saw double digits 25% increase. Um I saw a report from um I don't want to say the wrong city or state but there's other communities that's rece that's noticed double-digit increase. And so I think looking at the data and the funding stream that we've had and then ensuring that we maintain that funding stream is very ins is very essential.

Yep. For sure. Now one thing I want to highlight too from your presentation. So you were you were very generous when you said that the federal funds were sun setting. you know, I mean, we I guess well, you know, we all we all see what it is, but there's been a lot of cuts at the federal level to services that affect the vulnerable, right? That's that also is, you know, an explanation for the need for such an increase in your budget because we on the local level have to account for that because there's no other way, right? I mean, there's you can't go backwards. Um, and one thing that I want to highlight and I'm curious to your comments on it. So, you're you're FTEES total. So, you're adding 15 total positions, but you're not adding 15 positions, right? You're you're you're at you're you're neutral.

I'm I'm net zero. I am trying to keep the staff that we currently have. We have 15 that are actually on ARPA funding. This is not 15 additional staff to the staff that we already have. This is 15 that are funded by way of ARPA. And our office was designed, it was built that way. We became an office maybe in June of 2023, but had already secured this ARPA fund in October of 2022. And we knew that there would be some key critical functions that we were going to take on like the coordinated entry system, strobal um office or strobal housing. And um we knew that we would need those funds uh those positions. And I think I want to be clear, they were never intended to be temporary. They were intended to be using these funds now to secure the positions and then in the future roll those positions into our budget. And as we look to deploy MURF funding or Metro Rapid Response funding last year, we did not ask for I think one of the council members emailed me. We did not ask for additional staffing because we knew that as um federal funds were going to sunset that we would start utilizing those same staff members to deploy that funding as well. Yeah, for sure. U what just a couple more chair so in regards to your positions overall, what do you need more of? What would be useful to you? What's making the biggest impact?

Um housing is what we need more of. I I'm always going to go there. The the end goal is housing. We're going to need more of those. I think as far as positions, we're probably at this point secure with the 15 additional FTEES and you'll see the supportive services, the ARPA funds. If we were to go beyond that, it would be the other request that we have there, which would be housing opportunities. Our partnership with MNPD, it's very difficult. Whenever they're experiencing someone that's in a housing crisis or experiencing homelessness, they typically call us. We go through the coordinated entry process. we, you know, see if they would be an ideal candidate for MURF. But those funds would have been something that could definitely help with identifying a housing opportunity for those individuals that even MDH MNPD would have identified. So housing is always going to be the end goal. That's, you know, the one thing that our unhoused population all have in common would be that they don't have housing. the reasons that cause them to become homeless. The symptoms that they've experienced along the way while being homeless are all different for every last one of them, but housing is what um ends that homeless crisis for them with the ongoing supportive services that um the even the mayor's office had identified as a need.

Thank you. Thank you, Chair. Thank you, Vice Chair Spang.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you, Director Kelvin, for being here. I'm going to piggyback a little bit on on what Chair Huffman um touched on just looking at your at your total budget over the past few years. Obviously, this is a new standalone office that you're ramping up over time and your your budget reflects that essentially doubled from the last fiscal year to the current one and then we're talking about another 50% or so increase this year. Is there an understanding that obviously there's there's always a need for more and more that we can do, but is there a target of what a what a fully functional standalone office looks like? And is there a goal? You know, we're trying to get there in five years, we're trying to get there in 10 years. What are we ramping up to? I like this question because it allows me to um think about best practices across the nation or other continuums of care that we have partnered with or connected with along the way. And that range is so different for every community. You know, there's some that have a hundred, there's some that are, you know, barely making it with 50. I think at 48, we're doing super well. We are always thinking about innovative options and innovative opportunities to continue to grow, but our main goal is filling in the gaps. Not replacing the work that our key vital nonprofits are doing, but filling in the gaps. So like landlord engagement is a filling in the gap opportunity. Um, Strobble andor Cold Weather Shelter is filling in the gap. So not looking to replace the services that we can lean on them for or the expertise that they have. um but looking for opportunities to fill in the gap. And so the funding initiative that you see here would would have been definitely filling in all of the gaps. And so we will kind of take it along the way as as awarded.

Understood. Thank you for that. Um let's see. Looking I'm looking at page 325. Um under professional and purchase services that number jumps by a good bit. that three 3,250,000 that seems to match up with the 2 million uh increase in community care and 1.25 for interim site housing. Is that right? Those are contracted out services. Yes, that's correct.

Okay. Um just one more same question as as uh during our last hearing that all the other expenses seems to go down by uh 233,000 and change which seems to be the bulk of your one and a half percent reduction. And is that sort of a recognition of sort of figure out as the year goes along how you're going to absorb that in your budget? Yeah. Yeah. So, we're going to look at it during the road process and typically it'll come from below the line. Just because we got these positions in the recommended mayor's budget, we wouldn't want to be a to look at that as an option. We will definitely look at the expenditures below the line and figure out where that uh reduction could come from. Thank you. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you. Councilman Web,

thank y'all for being here. I'm just trying to make sure I'm looking at the right stuff on this page right here. Do y'all get this where we get the modifications from the mayor's office. So, I just added up everything from homeless services and it was 10 million 317, but when I'm looking on 325, the difference is like 5.3. Is some of this stuff already in the budget and what are you actually asking for separate? So, um the initial budget mod requests I don't know if you want to go back to that slide right there. These are the additional requests and so the top three were the ones that um were approved by the mayor's office to move forward. Mhm. But I'm not sure if that's the total amount that you're looking at.

Okay. Now, I see I see. Yeah, I see it right there. Now, those are the three. You asked for all of this, but he only approved the top three or those three. Not the top three, but those figured three.

Yes. Okay. Director Calvin, I see too on the uh I'm looking at your at a glance page and for that interim site housing, it has 1,250,000 and I'm looking that your request was 2,500,000.

Yeah. Um I I saw that as well. And I think um the thing to highlight here would be there's additional funds throughout the community that are becoming available. Whether it is home ARPA funds that's being deployed by MDHA. We know several providers have applied for those funds or the health department opioid abatement funds. I see um director Dr. Areola there. Um there's several that have applied for the opioid abatement funds and or received them. And so we're going to do our own true up process with um ser service providers to see what the need would be if though if fully funded by those other opportunities. And then um also looking for more this year more performance-based um funding opportunities. We fund a lot of nonprofits and um accountability, transparency, and performance-based is what if we're short that you know 1 million or 1.25, we would want to make sure that we're having highest and best use of the funds that we have available.

Okay. Any Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't see you. See, now I don't know who raised their hand first. Sorry. Okay. Okay, I'm going to do Councilwoman Sar, then I'm coming to you, Councilwoman Ellis. Thank you, Chair. She's on the committee.

Am I on? Awesome. Thank you, Chair, and thank you, Director Calvin, for being here. I think uh some of the things that I have have been mentioned, so I would not repeat them. Uh but I do um seek clarification in terms of the numbers. Um there is there was a report by WKRN that says that the number of homelessness is about 4,000 uh in 2026 in Nashville and and I know that your service is about 2.7 million. Uh is that 2.7 million just chronic uh uh homeless? Is that what that represents or uh what's happening to what's the difference in that number that we're looking at? You said 2.7 million. Oh

no. 2 2,700. Thank you. A hard drop. So, no, you serve about 2,800, but the number of homeless people in Nashville, according to that report, is 4 million. So, you're looking at about 1,200 difference. So, do you only deal with, and I know that you're saying it's a 4% increase yearly? Is it because you're only looking at chronic only or what's the difference in that number?

Okay. Um, thank you for that question. So for the 2,800 individuals that's utilizing our point in time count. So we you know year after year we utilize the point in time count to really try to keep a good thumb on the pulse of the various ranges through that four not 4 million but that 4,000 we don't four million. No

no no we don't. um for the 4,000 that's utilizing our HMIS database, meaning that all the community partners that are putting people in and out of the system. So we know throughout the month there's people that kind of come in and out, in and out. And that number is tracked monthly by way of our HMIS system. So two separate numbers. I think I like to utilize the um point in time count just because it is a great measurement of using the same set of data, the same locations actually really increasing the locations. We've increased the locations, increased the number of volunteers when we do the point in time count. And it's also based on annually data that we've reviewed throughout the year, locations that our outreach team has reviewed throughout the year. And I think using the same measurements is probably a great way of really keeping a thumb on the pulse on the es and flows. But the HMIS data, it could be where an agency entered someone, did not exit them. We we are looking at some data that we're getting from the Nashville Rescue Mission and trying to figure out ways to help with cleaning that up as well. So that's the difference between the two numbers in and out throughout the month or on a one day snapshot and point in time. This is what we've seen year after year.

Thank you. I just wanted to make sure that we're not missing some people that need help in our account and that we're not just foc f focusing on a certain category and I just want to reconcile that number. So, thank thank you for that. I appreciate it. Um, one of the things that I'm also looking at is the program breakdown that is in the packet that we received and I realized that some of the program that are included in the program breakdown are ending or already ended. uh um are these services that we're not providing anymore or services that will be provided by others or we're looking into doing some other things. For example, we have the OBA solutions homelessness recovery program that is ending April 2026. So, does that factor going forward or is that something that is ending?

Can you say that program once again? Um it's in the pro this paperwork. Thank you for that.

Yes, ma'am. Um so that is the federal funds that we receive. That's the continuum of care coc federal funds that we receive as a community and um all of those are the funds that I was speaking on that um it's about almost matches our budget. So I know it can be confusing. It's about $1.8 million that we get from the federal government that comes in. It goes directly to those agencies. And so, um, this year the federal government was looking to change that notice of funding opportunity and the requirements. And that's where I'm saying Wally Deetsz and our and his entire law team was unflapable and um really really helped with um battling with federal government alongside of other national entities and securing those funds for Nashville. So those funds have been secured for the entire year. So any 2026 funding that's on that list will be awarded. Now what'll happen May, June, we're already in May. So June or July, there will be a new notice of funding, no FO is what we call it, notice of funding opportunity that will come out from the federal government. And um I'm pretty sure it's going to be quite different than what we see there. So those agencies are receiving funds for this entire year and then we'll have about um for some six to you know five to eightmonth runway on you know being able to um apply for new funding based on the new regs of the federal government. Thank you. Um and and thanks for all that you're doing. And in the four years, um as we're looking at programming and what we're doing, I'm also looking at community questions and issues being raised. Uh one of the um program that you have is the one that you work with landlord. Um I know I've had complaint about slum landlords and uh people being evicted

and uh a revolving door for people that we putting in homes. what are the things that we put in place as we continue to look into this program for the upcoming year? Thank you for that question. And I think sometimes it's really confusing when um we are providing ARP we're providing MURF funding or ARPA funding for landlord engagement or rental assistance and then there's service providers that you'll see on that list that are doing the exact same. And so sometimes it's confusing where if there is a revolving door, if someone has exited where OS um it's, you know, the the onus is put on OS, which that's not right. Um, for people that we're funding by way of MURF or Metro Rapid Response funding or bridge funding, we would want to ensure that continuity until they can afford it on their own or a voucher is dropped in place like a housing subsidy or or the case management is able to get them moved into like shared housing or something that they can afford on their own. That's what we would do to like carry it till the end. And what we're going to ask service providers if they know of someone that is going to lose their housing based on them not being able to pay in the future or behavioral concerns to reach out to our landlord engagement team so that we will be aware of that in advance because what we know is every time someone goes back into homelessness that's considered you know heightening their fear or failure on their part and we do not want them to feel that housing should be feared or that's a failure. um we just want to make sure that there's a soft landing on the next location. So, we're going to work with that part on our um landlord engagement team. Another thing that we're looking to do a little bit different, we just had a recent turnover in a position and is to ensure that we have someone on site with us that can do housing quality standards, housing habitability standards by way of the

federal government. So, as our landlord engagement team is bringing on new properties and or um offering properties to individuals, we have someone that goes to that location to review it, do the checklist and um understand, you know, certain codes and regs as well. Um and speaking about that, uh what about issues of landlord not being paid or late rent? Because as we're funding this program, we want it to be working. and I want to be addressing all the uh bottlenecks and all the issues with it. And so in order for us to go and say let's put more money in this, we don't want situation where in we're having issues on the back end. So that's one of the things that's come up. How are we addressing that as we move forward?

Yeah. Scaling a program. It took us a little while to as we were scaling the program andor understanding the internal needs um trying to design some systems thinkers within my office. Right? Systems thinking is very important. you don't just do your part and drop it off and then think the magic is going to happen on the other end. So, we've worked out some of those details um using like a supply chain management thought process of scaling programs and also um we have acquired someone that helps with invoicing and that's her sole job is to assist with invoicing. We have um received information that that was a concern and some of the concerns are, you know, definitely valid. So, we're going to do our part to ensure and the concerns that are not valid, we're going to make sure to push back a little bit on, you know, the landlord or the property owner because sometimes it's, you know,

a few more and I'll be done. Chair, I'll make you really quick. Uh, on your statement, you had indicated that you have no case load typically and all most of your work is done by uh the partners. So the question is and I guess it begs the question why do we need more FTEES rather than just additional more money for the partners that are actually doing the work if our office is not dealing with people directly.

That is a great question. So the positions that we have through the FTEES not additional FTEES but current FTEES um coordinated entry call center that's lives with us. So we are the call center. We are the ones that um are receiving those calls. the strobal oversight staff that is performed by us not by we have depal that's running and operating um the strobal facility or strobal housing and um our office is providing the oversight there so it's really important to secure the positions that we have uh as far as connecting people to the vouchers like you know given that example of Norm saying that Norm from MDHA saying this is the first time he's ever seen this many vouchers deployed. It was done by way of our landlord engagement team. And so what we do is fill in the gaps, not to duplicate what they're doing. We're funding them to do what they do great. And then we see the gaps and we're using that to fill in the gaps.

Thank you. And my last question is on some of these initiatives that you have uh and the potential funding for them uh uh specifically uh this initiative with MMPD that has to do with downtown and the the policing downtown area. Did we look into either the MMPD budget or maybe even the downtown partnership uh as part of security because homelessness is a big issue downtown and this is something that everybody's been working on. So as part of the downtown partnership conversation and funding is this something that we've even looked into or talk about. Same thing goes for I'm looking at the 500,000 that we're looking at for mental health right uh uh mental health provision. I would think that would be something under the pview of the department of health. Now, is the department of ed doing this already? Is this part of their budget? Is something that's flowing through them? Have we even have a discussion with them? If you will address that, I appreciate it.

Yes. I'll start with the mental health. So, fire, they have the reach program. MNPD, they have partners in care. And I've worked with Michael Randolph on what would that look like for that level of care to walk alongside of our office in outreach and not just for our team but for the entire community of service providers. Um so that it doesn't even need a squad car to go out or a um fire truck to go out. It would be where our outreach team is already out in that location and needs assistance and would have someone there. So, um I do know that the health department has the behavioral health team. They've been instrumental in helping us during cold weather shelter season. So, that could definitely be a conversation. Was just looking to use some of the same staff that mental health co-op currently uses for MNPD and the fire department as well. And I think parks um parks police is looking to kind of do the same. So, it could be a shared initiative or um they're looking to build like a holistic team as well. And what was the first part of your question if you don't mind me asking again?

No problem. Uh it's on the uh 2.7 million for the downtown MNPD.

Yes. So MNPD I've been working closely with them. I not ever in OS's life are we ever interested in policing homelessness. That's not who we are. We are look we're very interested in housing individuals. And so thinking of our coordinated entry process and how some of those individuals have been on the list for a very long time may not have the high score to be housed by way of the coordinated entry process where we're looking for additional funds where we would not have to appear to circumvent a system or put someone in front of. And so, uh, MNPD has been interested interested. I don't know if you all are aware, but when I worked for a local nonprofit, I kind of helped start the quality of life team with MNPD. So, thinking of ways that that quality of life team can work closely with our office on housing solutions, not um, like just asking us to come in to make this real magic happen or to make it happen faster. And so worked with a couple of MNPD officers and um that that's where that initiative came from. Now I'm not sure if they have the funding in their budget. Did not think to talk to them about um their budget or um if there was additional funds, but definitely um with Community Solutions and Clutch Consulting, we've talked to them a little bit with the downtown um dis downtown district. Thank you. see bid, right? And um you know, maybe there's more a way that we can streamline that funding opportunity or um housing needs.

Yeah. And and I think especially with the downtown folks, I think it's going to be very crucial because as we having that conversation, the homelessness downtown, how we deal with it is something that is of uh interest to us. And also, I know that they're using private uh uh police that a lot of people are not happy with. And so there's a lot of conversation about how do we bring that in now CMPD and MMPD is talking about funding and so uh uh this is something that I think oh everybody should be talking together and downtown can can help pay for that and solve a problem that they have that we have uh and making sure that we take care of that. So thank you so much for your presentation pres appreciate it.

Thank you Councilwoman Ellis. Thank you uh Chair. Um, and I'll I have three questions and if you could just be really brief and if you have to follow up with an email, please. I'm not on this committee and I'm on thin ice with Chair Tomb, so just indulge me if you can. Um, so the first question that I have is on 325 the fringe benefits um that 450,000 increase is that what is that due to the healthcare? So the fringe is coming from everything that when we ask for those positions in Oracle, it automatically calculates that amount. So that's where that number comes from.

Gotcha. Okay. And then the next one is following up on Vice Chair Spain's question, the that 3.2 million difference in the professional and purchased services. That's for the two new programs. Um, but I'm worried that that's a contracted service as opposed to like building capacity within the the current department. Could you help me make make sense of that?

Yeah. Um, I I skate a thin line to ensure that we don't duplicate the services of our nonprofits. Um, and sometimes it's more looking at a supply chain management. Sometimes it's more beneficial to bring it inside. Sometimes it's more beneficial to fund agencies that are experts in what they do. And you know, through this we may look at or flirt with the idea of a little bit of both. just depends on um the funding award in the end and the need of the community and or the ability to deploy because as I said there's a couple of other things at play whether it's the opioid abatement funds the home ARPA funds and the federal government looking to kind of change their notice of funding and so we have a lot of moving parts all at the same time and and and that's a great question I think scaling capacity for our department is important and it allows us to make some decisions and some moves without always having to lean heavily on the nonprofits, but I never want to get into the space where we're competing with our nonprofits because um this level of work is important and we need everyone at the table.

Cool. Very good. Uh and then the last question and for this if you can explain it to me. So, I have this group of kids at the bus stop um that actually are involved with what's going on when it comes to homeless uh or unhoused people as they call them. Um but explain it to me as if I was a fifth grader. How the expenditures per capita have tripled nearly like what are the measurable outcomes that I can tell them that they can see?

Yeah. So what's important to note is for many years we kind of housed the easy to house for many years and you know that might have been housing a little bit more people but for paying for or covering their cost for a shorter amount of time which left people outside experiencing chronic level homelessness compounding symptoms and issues that come along with that. within the last three years, we've worked really hard to address chronic level homelessness, meaning they they're going to have more of the symptoms that come along with homelessness. And as a nation, we, you know, understand that DV is on the rise. We see where Tennessee and Nashville ranks as um number of overdoses. You know, even thinking now what have not shared is like the economy and the you know, living wage and all of those things that we all know about. And when you're addressing the hardest to house means that you're going to have to pay a little bit longer. And that slide, that pyramid that shows for every $1 of putting someone into housing and covering that rent with supportive services, you save the city $2.7 $2.70 $2.70. And so, um, because of the for the last three years, we've been focusing more on unsheltered homelessness, those that have been outside the longest. Maybe the first time that they go into housing is not going to be their forever home. Just like you or I when we first went somewhere that you might not even know the address anymore, but if they've been outside for an extended amount of time, that level of care that's needed to keep them in cost more than it would three to four years ago. Councilwoman Evans.

Thank you, Chair. Um I guess I wanted to know from the MURF um pilot, you know, when we use pilot, it implies it's going to end at some point and so what is the scheduled end date or do we have one yet?

Yeah, thank you for that. I know that the homeless planning council was asking that question of our um landlord engagement team and so it started um October of 25. We looked at the data and thought that a full roll out of one year would be um October of 2026 which would be a great time for that pilot to end look at the data review the data and then figure out the next step. Scaling a program I think is kind of what delay was the delay. scaling the program, ensuring that we have the proper checks and balances, and then also ensuring that landlords are being paid on time and that we have all of the systems in place and firing in the right direction.

Thank you. And then the other question I had was um kind of going back to what we were originally discussing around um like the landlord side of the equation that council member um Sora brought up. Um, I know that we've had I had an instance I know for sure where a landlord ended up evicting somebody um potentially more than one person um just because they had the right to do it and you know we didn't have the um I would say probably bandwidth based on circumstances to kind of get in there faster and kind of navigate the situation like with the landlord. And so I guess when we're thinking about the landlord engagement side as we're reflecting on like the physical structures and those kinds of things with the next person that comes into that role is looking at kind of that piece of it um and what that intervention may look like whether it is OS intervention, whether it is council member relationship intervention or regardless um just because I know that it to your point what you said earlier is once somebody comes out of being housed. You know, it's just so much harder to get them back into something based on those barriers that now that they end up having. So, just wanted to say that out loud in this group.

Thank you for that. I do um appreciate that. And um our landlord engagement team, we have, you know, three that are focused on three different things. One with service providers, one with landlords, and then one with the clients. And so ensuring that we're solidifying those relationships I think will help um and or knowing on the front end. We've worked with MDHA um Susie Tommy on if um someone is about to lose their voucher just for not reertifying because maybe they don't know and don't have connection with the service provider. She's been reaching out to our team. So we've been able to like hold that off as well so that you know the reertification the administrative work that goes along with that we're able to secure and the person is able to remain housed. This year we did see like a 2% increase in um recetivisms back into homelessness. So we're up to 15%. So 85% of the individuals that are housed remain housed or find additional housing. Only 15% are actually entering back into homelessness. That's something that we want to continue to see to go down, not to increase though.

Any additional questions for Office of Homeless Services? Seeing none, thank you, Director Calvin, and and your staff. Thank you. We will um move forward with health. If y'all could come on up and as soon as you're set up and ready to go, we'll start.