title
A resolution recognizing the 10th Anniversary of Nashville's Extreme Cold Weather Overflow Shelter and the contributions of Metro Social Services and the Office of Homeless Services.
body
WHEREAS, Nashville's Cold Weather Plan recognizes November 1 through March 31 as the cold weather season in Nashville and Davidson County; and
WHEREAS, since 2014, Metro Social Services ("MSS") has operated the city's Extreme Cold Weather Overflow Shelter annually, opening once temperatures drop dangerously low, providing overnight shelter for Nashville's unhoused population; and
WHEREAS, on January 6, 2014, an arctic front hit parts of the country, including the southeast with one to three inches of snow falling throughout the area and temperatures dropping as low as 5 degrees; and
WHEREAS, the winter system hovered over Nashville for days and, at that time, the Metropolitan Government did not have a coordinated shelter network beyond referring people to Room In the Inn and the Nashville Rescue Mission; and
WHEREAS, Mayor Karl Dean, recognizing those two facilities were not sufficient, reached out to MSS, requesting to open a temporary shelter to provide relief from the cold for Nashville's unhoused population; and
WHEREAS, as a result, Nashville's Extreme Cold Weather Overflow Shelter was established on January 15, 2014, for the city to take additional people seeking shelter when Room In the Inn and the Nashville Rescue Mission began reaching capacity, hence the intentional reference of "overflow" in the shelter's name, and
WHEREAS, while Nashville residents who have housing were advised to stay home and off the roads due to hazardous winter conditions, those experiencing homelessness were directed to the Nashville Fairgrounds Vaughn building where MSS, in conjunction with the Office of Emergency Management ("OEM"), operated the city's Cold Weather Shelter; and
WHEREAS, due to the success of the shelter response, a more coordinated and firmer plan was constructe...
Click here for full text