Metro Nashville announced on Tuesday that the homeless shelter set up in response to the COVID-19 pandemic is scheduled to close on July 1. The decision is prompted in part by a rising rate of vaccination among Nashvillians, including those experiencing homelessness.
“There continues to be a higher number of those at the temporary shelter that have been vaccinated thanks to the hard work of the Health Department and other community organizations,” says Dr. Gill Wright, interim chief medical officer for the Metro Public Health Department, in a press release about the decision. “With vaccinations continuing to increase it is safe to begin shifting services found at the temporary shelter back to the community organizations that serve the homeless, while also monitoring the process over the next three months."
Located at the Fairgrounds Nashville, the shelter was set up in March of last year and was made up of three separate spaces: one for general overflow guests, another for people awaiting COVID-19 test results and a third for those who tested positive for the coronavirus. According to the press release, the facility has sheltered 1,313 people and provided more than 130,000 meals since opening.
The Metro Public Health Department is also part of a collaboration between 19 organizations offering the local homeless community complete access to the vaccine by Memorial Day.
The fairgrounds shelter had been controversial at times, with some advocates questioning the decision to establish a congregate setting rather than seek out hotel rooms or similar spaces. Early in the pandemic, there was an outbreak of more than 100 COVID cases among people experiencing homelessness, many of them guests of Nashville Rescue Mission. Emails from that period showed Metro scrambling for space at the time.
While July 1 is the planned date for closure, Metro officials note that the timing ultimately depends on vaccination levels in Davidson County. Once the shelter closes, the fairgrounds operators will spend six to eight weeks on any needed repairs and cleanings, as well as other work that had been delayed due to the pandemic.
