Nashville-Davidson County, the state capital and located in middle Tennessee, is the widely known center of the country music business and is also a major tourist attraction. In addition, its economy draws on publishing, health, finance, insurance, and government. The city of Nashville, located on the Cumberland River and Davidson County were consolidated in the early 1960s to form the Metropolitan Government.
The Nashville-Davidson County Consolidated Plan presents a strategic vision for housing and community development in this unique metropolitan area. It includes a One-Year Action Plan for spending approximately $10.6 million of Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), HOME Investment Partnership Program, program income, and Emergency Shelter Grant funds in 1995. These funds will primarily be spent on housing and neighborhood livability activities.
A task force established by the Metropolitan Development and Housing Agency
(MDHA) was responsible for initiating formal consultation with public and
private organizations and individuals concerned with various aspects of the
Consolidated Plan. MDHA is the agency that administers essentially all HUD
programs for Metro Government, including Public Housing, and was designated by
the Mayor and approved by the council as the lead agency in this process. As
part of this process, MDHA formed a Citizen Advisory Committee with
representatives of many neighborhoods, public housing residents, homeless
persons, and residents assisted through the HOME program. Two public hearings
were held after being publicized in three local newspapers. Before the second
hearing, and for a 30 day period, copies of a draft Consolidated Plan were
available for public review and comment. The plan was approved by the
Metropolitan Planning Commission on January 12, 1995, and adopted by the
Metropolitan Council on January 17, 1995.
Nashville-Davidson County is located in one of the first consolidated metropolitan governments in the country. According to the 1990 census, the population of metropolitan Nashville-Davidson County was 510,784, up 12 percent from 1980. However, the other seven counties of the Nashville metropolitan statistical area grew faster than Davidson County. The fastest growing group in the county is the elderly. The majority of Davidson County's 1990 population was white (74 percent), 23 percent were African American, and 3 percent were other minorities.
In 1990 median family income (MFI) was $34,785, but by 1994 it had risen to
$40,300. Forty-two percent of all households in Nashville were low- and
moderate-income (with incomes below 80 percent of MFI) in 1990. African
Americans were disproportionately represented in the very-low income category
(incomes between 31 and 50 percent of MFI). Nineteen percent of the census
tracts in Davidson County contained concentrations of racial/ethnic minorities.
These areas were largely grouped in inner city Nashville and the northwest
quadrant of the county.
Federal, State, and metropolitan governments are three of the top four employers in the eight-county metropolitan statistical area. Governments and a variety of service industries dominate the local economy. Unemployment levels in Davidson County have remained well below the national average for the past 10 years, with the 1990 census reporting a civilian unemployment rate of 5 percent.
Two critical housing needs are identified in the Consolidated Plan: increasing the affordability of housing and rehabilitating the existing housing stock. To address affordable housing needs, rental assistance is needed to reduce cost burdens. To address housing quality/condition problems, funds are needed to help low-income persons maintain and repair their homes. Another high priority need is a service link for the homeless that goes beyond provision of food, shelter, and clothing.
Of low-income owner households (incomes 50 percent or less), large families have the greatest housing need, followed by minority households, small families, and the elderly. Among renter households in the same income category, large families again have the greatest need, followed by minority households.
The jurisdiction of Nashville-Davidson County had 219,521 year round housing units in 1990, 90 percent of which were occupied. Of the occupied units, 47 percent were rental units and 53 percent were owner-occupied. Vacancy rates for both types of housing decreased steadily between 1992 and 1994. In June 1994, the vacancy rate for rental units was only 2 percent.
Between 1984 and 1987, Davidson county experienced a residential building boom, followed by a drastic decline in construction, especially of multifamily units. However, single family housing construction increased again in 1993 and 1994.
About 11 percent of housing units in Nashville-Davidson County were classified as substandard in 1990. Almost 60 percent of these units were suitable for rehabilitation.
Much of the single-family housing built in the last few years is beyond the price range of lower-income households. Very low rates of multifamily housing construction have resulted in decreased vacancy rates, fueling annual rent increases of 9 percent since 1990. Little multifamily construction is planned for the near future and rents are likely to continue to rise faster than incomes.
Households with incomes at or below 50 percent of MFI (24 percent of all households) have the greatest housing cost burden. They need rental assistance and affordable housing options, and owners need rehabilitation assistance. Low-income first time homebuyers need downpayment assistance, credit counseling, and home maintenance training.
At any given time, 1,200 to 1,500 individuals are homeless in Nashville. Based on a count conducted in late 1992, over 80 percent are single adults, 16 percent are members of homeless families, and just over 2 percent are unaccompanied youth. The vast majority of homeless single adults are male, and 60 percent of all homeless are white.
Nashville has 991 emergency shelter beds, of which 75 percent are devoted to single male adults. Twenty-five percent are beds for families, single women, youth, or domestic violence victims. Six agencies in the metropolitan area offer transitional housing for homeless persons. Some transitional programs are geared specifically toward special needs populations such as veterans, persons with mental illness, or individuals with substance abuse problems. A critical need exists for permanent supportive housing environments for homeless and non-homeless with special needs, such as the frail elderly, persons with disabilities, and persons with HIV/AIDS.
Nashville has over 17,500 housing units with some type of Federal assistance. Of those units, nearly 6,500 are public housing and approximately 8,400 are Section 8 rental units. The remaining more than 2,600 units receive assistance from a variety of other Federal programs.
Roughly 78 deteriorated public housing units are scheduled for demolition; and will likely be replaced with a combination of new construction and rental assistance vouchers. The vacancy rate for public housing was only 1.9 percent in late 1994, and nearly 300 persons are on the public housing waiting list. Among public housing units, bedroom sizes are evenly distributed: 11 percent are efficiency units, 25 percent are one-bedroom, 35 percent are two-bedroom, 20 percent are three-bedroom, and 7 percent have four or more bedrooms.
The Section 8 waiting list was much larger than that for public housing, at 4,500 persons. Almost a quarter of those on the Section 8 waiting list have housing needs that give them a preference for Section 8 openings. Among Section 8 units, 16 percent are efficiency or one- bedroom, 57 percent are two-bedroom, and 27 percent have three or more bedrooms. As of September 1994, the jurisdiction had no unused rental vouchers or certificates and no vacant units. No Section 8 units are expected to be lost from the assisted housing inventory.
Service providers for special needs populations indicated the following needs, in addition to affordable housing:
Lack of affordable housing is one of the most critical housing problems in the metropolitan area. The metropolitan government has studied their tax policies, land use controls, zoning ordinances and subdivision regulations, growth limits, building codes, building fees, and charges and found that these practices did not pose significant barriers to affordable housing development. Their Consolidated Plan does note, however, that neighborhood opposition and State public hearing requirements for scattered site low-density affordable housing are sometimes impediments to affordable housing.
The Fair Housing Office for Metropolitan Nashville completed a study of fair housing in June 1994. One of the issues highlighted through this study was the lack of public information on fair housing complaints. Data on the demographic profiles of buyers and renters (in terms of protected classes) was lacking. The study was unable to obtain a total number of housing discrimination cases within Nashville-Davidson County. There are no current court orders, consent decrees, or HUD-imposed sanctions that affect the provision of fair housing remedies.
Of the 219,521 housing units in Nashville-Davidson County, 68 percent were constructed before 1980, when lead-based paint was still in use. Of the units built before 1980, over half were occupied by households with very low- or other low-income households. Lead- based paint abatement has been a part of public housing modernization since 1986. In 1994, 10 cases of childhood lead poisoning were reported in Davidson County, but the sources of the lead poisoning were not known.
Nashville-Davidson County is fortunate to have a low unemployment rate.
Nevertheless, developing the skills of low-income persons to meet the
requirements of a changing economy will remain an important long-term need.
Community development needs include gainful employment for the at-risk
population, adult education and vocational training programs, self-sufficiency
programs and intensive case management, affordable child care, educational and
development programs for children before first grade, retraining for displaced
workers, emergency assistance for at-risk families and individuals, and
affordable and accessible transportation, and infrastructure improvements.
Although specific subgroups (small families or elderly households) may have problems that are unique to their populations, housing problems in Nashville-Davidson County are primarily related to low income and an aging housing stock. Housing priorities and strategies reflect those conditions. Housing objectives focus on the supply of affordable housing. Community development objectives are to revitalize residential and neighborhood commercial areas, remove blight in the central business district, and provide economic development opportunities for low- and moderate-income citizens. The recently designated Federal Enterprise Community and the previously designated State Enterprise Zone, located within the larger EC, will be sites of intensive revitalization and community development efforts.
Priorities for affordable housing include increasing the supply of affordable housing and reducing housing cost burdens for low-income households, improving the living environments of lower income residents, assisting public housing residents to become more self-sufficient, increasing housing choice for low-income and minority residents, and addressing the unique needs of large families, the elderly, and persons with disabilities.
Priorities for homelessness alleviation include providing adequate emergency shelter, ensuring transitional and permanent housing alternatives for homeless persons, creating supportive services for homeless persons not capable of independent living, and providing support networks and services to persons at risk of homelessness.
The priority for non-homeless persons with special needs is supportive housing or housing linked to supportive services for the frail elderly, persons with HIV/AIDS, and other persons with special needs.
Priorities for mixed-use areas include creating a living/working environment including low- and moderate-income residents, encouraging residential infill and compatible business uses on vacant land in targeted areas, and conserving the heritage and character of targeted areas.
Priorities for economic development activities include providing training and related supportive services to residents of the State Enterprise Zone and Federal Enterprise Community and offering loans to businesses that meet need or job creation requirements.
Priorities for other community development activities include public facilities improvements (parks, recreation, and youth centers), infrastructure improvements (street, sidewalk, and sewer), and public services provision (including fair housing counseling and planning).
Nashville-Davidson County recognizes the need to prioritize antipoverty programs over the next few years, and intends to continue supporting existing programs. A number of social service organizations administer programs such as Head Start, assistance for families in crisis, subsidized child care, Job Training Partnership Act activities, job training and self- sufficiency programs for public housing residents, and housing and mortgage counseling.
Within Nashville-Davidson County, 34 Federal, 6 State, 5 local, and 16 private programs currently provide services to the community. The primary Federal resources include CDBG, HOME, Section 8, public housing, Emergency Shelter Grants, Shelter Plus Care, and the Supportive Housing program. Resources available from the State include the Tennessee Housing Development Agency's home mortgage and HOUSE grant program. Local resources include Metro Social Services' Home Management and Family Assistance programs and the Urban Development Action Grant repayment program. Private programs include local lending institutions' affordable housing programs and a wide range of nonprofit initiatives.
The MHDA is responsible for the Consolidated Plan activities, but a variety of public and private organizations are involved in administering plan components. For example, the Tennessee Housing Development Agency issues tax-exempt bonds to fund below-market mortgages for low-income persons, several nonprofits provide services for the homeless, and private lenders operate affordable housing loan programs. The Consolidated Plan acknowledges that there is some overlap in service provision. However, the Nashville- Davidson County consolidated government lends itself to coordinated efforts.
Although Nashville-Davidson County feels that it has a well developed
network of government agencies, nonprofits, and private organizations to carry
out its Consolidated Plan, it also noted some gaps in the delivery of services.
Coordination of services for the non-homeless special needs population needs
strengthening. Furthermore, efforts to eliminate barriers to homeownership will
also require increased attention.
The Nashville-Davidson County One-Year Action Plan outlines the proposed use of approximately $10.6 million in CDBG, HOME, and Emergency Shelter Grants funds, in addition to program income. These funds will be spent mainly on an array of housing activities, including:
Roughly half of the projects in the One-Year Plan are dedicated to targeted residential areas, known as Neighborhood Strategy Areas (NSAs). Funds allocated to these areas are spent mostly on public improvements as suggested by an elected Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC). In addition, significant HOME funds are allocated to nonprofit Community Housing Development Corporations (CHDOs).
Highlights of Nashville-Davidson County's housing goals for the first year include increasing the supply of affordable housing for 785 households through rehabilitation, acquisition, and new construction; providing rental assistance for 80 households; placing 160 public housing residents in self-sufficiency programs; increasing housing choice for 100 minority or low- income citizens; providing 250 transitional and single room occupancy units for the homeless; creating supportive housing for 45 households; and preventing homelessness among 2,000 at-risk households.
MAP 2 depicts points of interest and low-moderate income areas.
MAP 3 depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, and minority concentration levels.
MAP 4 depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, and unemployment levels.
MAP 5 depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, unemployment levels, and proposed HUD funded projects.
MAP 6 is a map, sectioned by neighborhood, which depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, unemployment levels, and proposed HUD funded projects.
MAP 7 depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, unemployment levels, and proposed HUD funded projects within one of the four neighborhoods indicated in MAP 6.
MAP 8 depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, unemployment levels, and proposed HUD funded projects within another of the four neighborhoods indicated in MAP 6.
MAP 9 depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, unemployment levels, and proposed HUD funded project(s) from a street level vantage point; in addition, a table provides information about the project(s).
