Nashville non-profit advocates for extension on ‘Old Tent City’ demolition that would force residents out

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Venessa Hamrick-Carey’s day starts at five in the morning.

She told News 2 that she typically watches her husband leave for work to provide for their entire family. Meanwhile, Hamrick-Carey feeds and cares for their nine dogs. Hamrick-Carey does most of the cleaning, and finding dinner for everyone.

It’s an average day for many Tennesseans. The only difference is that Hamrick-Carey and her family are unhoused and live in “Old Tent City” between Hermitage Avenue and the Cumberland River.

“I lost my housing because of stupid stuff I did, but in the last three years, I’ve been clean and sober and built all of this,” Hamrick-Carey said. “They need to see it from our point of view instead of just judging us. They think we’re all addicts or alcoholics and it’s not the case. It’s just we’ve hit on hard times and this is where we landed.”

She and her family had fallen into a routine until they saw a sign on the fence announcing that every structure in “Old Tent City” would be demolished between September 16 and September 20. Every resident was expected to leave no later than September 13.

“It definitely sends you into a panic, definitely stresses you out,” Hamrick-Carey’s daughter, Mel Lane, said. “Because where are you going to go at the end of the day? Do you have family? Do you have support?”

Lane has lived off-and-on in the encampment. Lane has been able to secure housing, but she said that it doesn’t come without its struggles, especially when notices to move out pop up.

“This is all we know out here right now,” they both agreed. “Taking away our rights, our homes, basically our basic freedoms.”

News 2 reached out to the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) to find out more information about the notice to vacate.

“There is no current date that TDOT crews will clear the state-owned property in this area; however, we have put up ‘State Property, No Trespassing’ signage. TDOT does not enforce law.

We understand a contractor with Metro will be clearing several structures soon on both state and Metro property. The clearing of structures on state property by Metro was approved by TDOT. TDOT is open to the delay of clearing of these structures at Metro’s discretion.”

Statement from TDOT

The organization Open Table Nashville has been working with “Old Tent City” residents and were concerned when they saw the signs notices.

“We’re concerned about a city and a state that would think a solution would be to demolish structures instead of addressing underlying issues and to demolish structures without giving them alternative places to go whether that’s housing or other resources,” explained Lindsey Krinks with Open Table.

Krinks said that many “Old Tent City” residents don’t know where they will go next.

“They haven’t had time to process the loss of their home that they’ve built sometimes over the course of years,” Krinks said. “They don’t know where they’re going to go or what they are going to do with the materials or belongings that they have accumulated in their home… It’s like any of us — if we were given a week-and-a-half notice that our home was going to be destroyed, we would need time to pick up those pieces.”

TDOT and Metro planned to demolish six hand-built structures in the encampment. Krinks explained that some of the structures were built with kitchen and bathroom facilities to provide shelter to those who need it.

News 2 first reported on the deadline that residents were given earlier this week. Open Table Nashville and “Tent City” residents held a listening session to determine what should be the next steps in the process.

“The structures our government is planning to bulldoze are our homes. We have memories here and have invested countless hours and our own resources in constructing them. We can’t just pick up and move. We need time. We also need somewhere to go and rebuild until we have long-term options,” Open Table said in a press release.

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The organization and residents wrote a letter to TDOT, Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell, and Councilmember Jacob Kupin requesting the following:

• A 90-day extension on any demolition process. We need more than two weeks to dismantle the homes we’ve built and relocate our belongings and rebuild.
• Dumpsters and regular trash pick up. We want to be able to clean up our homes and neighborhood like other Nashville residents. It’s more cost-effective for us to be able to clean our area.
• Permanent housing. Everyone deserves a home.
• A campground where people can go when Tent City closes. There is always going to be a need for a place people can go until they get housing. A lot of us have pets and there are lots of couples here. Service organizations also need centralized places to meet with people. Tent City has existed since the early 1980s. All the other big camps have been shut down, shelters are full, and it’s nearly impossible to find housing that we can afford, especially housing that will take our pets.
• If anyone has to be displaced, they need to have access to storage for their belongings, adequate tents and tarps, and relocation support.

News 2 reached out to Mayor Freddie O’Connell’s Office and was directed to the Office of Homeless Services. We were given the following statement:

There are a number of Metro agencies, including Metro Codes, MNPD, Metro Parks, OHS, as well as the State, who are growing increasingly concerned about the safety of people experiencing homelessness camping near the Silliman Evans overpass.

Unsafe structures have been built without proper oversight or permitting; the structures are using power obtained illegally from nearby sources, and stolen vehicles have been identified in the encampment. Currently, the encampment is not slated for closure. However, the structures may not remain in place. Closing camps require extensive resources and coordination and OHS is eager to work with relevant departments to address these needs.

The Office of Homeless Services (OHS), which normally leads work to transition residents experiencing homelessness out of encampments, is not the lead on this effort. However, we are engaged with the people staying at the encampment and working to get them services and eventually housing. OHS remains committed to Nashville’s Encampment Strategy, ensuring all residents are notified and housing secured before a camp closure.
OHS is actively collaborating with the community’s prioritization team to identify the next encampment for a housing surge. The assessment of potential sites is ongoing.
In the meantime, outreach workers will continue visiting weekly to ensure all residents are entered into the Homelessness Management Information System and connected to essential resources and support.

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