Nashville housing crisis: Residents share stories, frustrations, advocate for change

Creating and sustaining safe, stable and affordable housing in Nashville was at the center of discussion during a community meeting in the Buena Vista neighborhood Saturday morning.

The costs of rent, homes and property taxes in Nashville have risen sharply in recent years. Meanwhile, Nashville has struggled to keep up with continued population growth driving housing demands. All this creates issues that spill over into education, transportation, wages and other areas.

About 30 community members, advocates and city leaders gathered at Fifteenth Avenue Baptist Church to share their experiences, frustrations and questions about housing on Saturday. Local nonprofit Nashville Organized for Action and Hope, or NOAH, called the meeting to encourage public input on the issue.

"There isn't one single problem contributing to the housing problem in Nashville," Jeanine Miller, who co-chairs NOAH's affordable housing task force, said. "It's multi-systemic."

Here are four key takeaways from the discussion.

Defining who faces affordable housing issues

Travis Miller, from the Metro Planning Department, was on hand to talk about the Nashville's latest housing initiatives, along with mapping out how the city designates those in need of housing assistance.

The city's housing division defines affordable housing as housing restricted to households earning 80% or less of the area median income, which factors in costs of living in Nashville and several surrounding counties.

So who exactly falls into that category? Here's a look at the 80% of the current area median income for 1-4 person households.

• One-person household: $59,850
• Two-person household: $68,400
• Three-person household: $76,950
• Four-person household: $85,500

Considering more than 70% of Nashville workers make less than $60,000 per year, that means a large portion of Nashville residents are likely facing housing issues.

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Residents young and old share housing struggles

A portion of the meeting was dedicated to giving residents a chance to share about the housing trends and issues they've faced in their own lives. Older residents talked about no longer being able to afford their own homes as property taxes have crept up. Others have seen the value of homes in the neighborhoods around them skyrocket as gentrification and rapid development continue citywide. Several talked about landlords aggressively raising rent and driving residents out.

Jada Miller, a 26-year-old who's lived in Nashville her whole life, said she was forced to move out of her Germantown apartment and back in with her parents due to rising rent. She fears she won't ever be able to afford a home in Nashville. She said she works for a local church and is still living paycheck-to-paycheck.

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But hearing the stories of others, especially older community members, encouraged her and helped her realize she's not alone.

"I thought it was because I'm young and I was being taken advantage of," she said.

Miller said she came away from the event inspired to get more young people involved in the conversation about solving Nashville's housing issues.

Breaking down stigma around affordable housing

Facilitators of the discussion Saturday honed in on dismantling stereotypes and unfair assumptions when it comes to affordable housing. It could mean that a growing family is struggling to find a home they can afford, a young person is unable to keep up with rising rent or a retired resident on a fixed income is no longer able to pay for increasing property taxes.

It could also mean that people who are technically housed are living in deplorable conditions. Miller, the NOAH leader, said those living in poor conditions often fear they will be evicted if they complain or advocate for change.

How to learn more and engage

Want to add your voice to the conversation?

NOAH hosts frequent events and has dedicated task forces for issues like affordable housing, criminal justice, education and more. Learn more at NOAHtn.org .

The city recently launched a task force called the Unified Housing Strategy. It has a public survey that is open until Sept. 27. Learn more about the strategy and find a link to the survey at nashville.gov/departments/planning/housing-division/unified-housing-strategy .

Reach reporter Rachel Wegner at RAwegner@gannett.com or follow her on Twitter @RachelAnnWegner.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nashville housing crisis: Residents share stories, frustrations, advocate for change