Region IV Director Promotes Homeless Efforts
in the Nashville Area and Supports Nashville's
Ten-Year Plan To End Chronic Homelessness

Although many large cities have a plan of attack to combat homelessness, Regional Director, Region IV, Brian Noyes emphasized and explained HUD's Ten-Year Plan to End Chronic Homelessness on Tuesday, March 16, 2004. "We want to support local homeless support agencies and citywide efforts of homeless providers and advocates in Nashville," Noyes said. Regional Director Noyes and Nashville Field Office Director, Dr. Edward Pringle, viewed several successful permanent and transitional housing facilities in downtown Nashville. They toured and learned from Mr. Rusty Lawrence, Director of Urban Housing Solutions, how he tailors or mixes funding requests from HUD grants, other grants, and private funds, and what actions he must take to make these facilities a success. His projects include funding mixes from the city, state and federal government - HUD's Supportive Housing Program (SHP) and Single Room Occupancy Program (SRO), to name a few.

Inside one of the units at SHP-funded Vultee Gardens, a Urban Housing Solutions Counselor discusses tenant rules with Ms. Tolmie (right).

At Vultee Gardens, Ms. Tolmie (left) and Regional Director, Brian Noyes discuss funding streams of the Supportive Housing Program (SHP) with Rusty Lawrence (right), Urban Housing Solutions Director

After welcoming some 50 guests to a two-day HUD SHP and Shelter Plus Care (SPC) training session for new and promising grantees involved with the programs, Dr. Pringle and Regional Director Noyes accompanied Ms. Suzie Tolmie, Metropolitan Development and Housing Agency Homeless Coordinator, on a tour to see the properties. First, a visit was made to one of Mr. Lawrence's SHP properties - Vultee Gardens - developed for homeless individuals and families who are in recovery from alcohol and drug addictions.

"We know which HUD programs will directly attack the chronic or repeater homeless population, and these programs help the homeless so they don't depart and come back into the system again and again," said Regional Director Noyes. The SHP and SRO Programs do just that. "That's one reason we are here - to show the community our support for their efforts and their advocacy to provide exceptional community service directed to the chronic population." Exceptional Service Certificates were awarded to MDHA's Suzie Tolmie and to Mr. Lawrence for their continuous work and unified efforts to support Nashville's ten-year plan to end chronic homelessness. Recently, Nashville Mayor Bill Purcell met with President Bush appointee, Phillip Mangano, Director of the re-activated Inter-Agency Council on Homelessness at a National League of Cities Conference.

Mercury Courts has over 100 units, the only SRO development in Nashville

The Nashville HUD Office toured the largest SRO development in Nashville, a "100-plus" unit facility, called Mercury Courts. Funding logistics dominated the conversation as they walked the facility's classrooms, computer lab and conference rooms. Urban Housing Solutions operates several other apartments in Nashville, including Crown Court, Fisk Court and Hope Terrace, but more importantly, other community A & D service providers assist the tenants. "We operate on a tight budget, but without the HUD funds, we could not help the chronic homeless," said Lawrence.