Our Purpose and Direction

We are sharing this public statement because it is extremely difficult to condense three years of research, field experience, and operational learning into short news segments or brief public comments made in a fast-moving forum. In those environments, it is hard to provide full context, explain our phased approach, or communicate why specific decisions have been made.

We wanted to respond in writing so that we could organize our thoughts, share details more clearly, and hopefully address areas of confusion. Even so, this document still does not reflect every conversation, piece of data, or operational factor that has informed our planning.

Urban Ministries brings more than 40 years of service to this community, including decades of direct work with individuals experiencing homelessness. Our staff have

significant experience in:

• case management
• crisis intervention
• trauma-informed care
• de-escalation
• safety protocols
• and emergency response environments

Our plan reflects that experience, as well as ongoing collaboration with:

• law enforcement
• healthcare and mental health professionals
• long-term shelter providers in Nashville such as the Rescue Mission and Room in the Inn
• domestic violence shelters

and our own operation of

• nearly 30 years of 24/7 domestic violence shelter and crisis hotline services,
• three years of managing the Emergency Warming Shelter, and
• over 40 years of servicing the homeless population in Clarksville

Our goal is to create a stable and sustainable system that helps people move from crisis to long-term independence. We are building this work intentionally and in phases so that we can operate responsibly, collect accurate information, and scale up based on real community needs rather than speculation or assumption.

This project is designed to stabilize individuals who are currently cycling through temporary crisis responses so that case management, planning, and meaningful next steps become realistic and achievable.

Phase 1: Operate the Emergency Weather Shelter in Our Own Facility

Our current warming shelter operates in a building we do not control, which limits when we can open and how consistently we can engage with people who need support.

Moving operations into our own facility will allow us to:

• provide daytime access to support services
• build trusting relationships with clients over time
• develop stabilization plans rather than short-term crisis responses
• collect accurate, real-time data about who we are serving and what they need

Even during early implementation, when overnight shelter is limited, individuals experiencing homelessness will still be welcome in the building during the day.

This is one of the most significant improvements from our current model. Today, when the warming shelter closes in the morning, individuals must leave the facility and return to the streets, with no daytime stabilization environment, no access to case management, and no consistent opportunity to work toward meaningful next steps. This results in repeated cycles of nighttime survival without long-term progress.

In Phase 1, our facility will function as a daytime resource and stabilization center where individuals can:

• engage with case managers
• participate in group-learning and life skills sessions
• receive assistance obtaining identification and essential documents
• connect with employment, healthcare, housing, and benefits resources
• participate in goal planning and structured follow-up
• access guidance, information, and referrals

This continuity of care allows staff to build trust, track progress, and support individuals in moving toward stability rather than continually cycling through crisis.

The new facility will also provide:

• designated floors to separate men and women for improved safety
• a full commercial kitchen that finally enables on-site meal preparation, which has not been possible in our current facility
• dedicated space for individuals with mobility or medical needs
• designated dining areas so cots do not need to be moved or torn down during meals

This reduces operational strain and allows our team to focus more time on direct client support.

This is the expansion we are discussing at this stage. It addresses the critical gap our community currently lacks: daytime stabilization and structured engagement, beyond lifesaving overnight services. Our existing Grace Assistance Program building does not allow us to provide these services, which is another reason a location change is necessary.

Capacity Clarification

At the public forum, we noted that the current drawings include 75 beds marked in the plans.

However, when we evaluate:

• the square footage of the current Madison Street UMC gymnasium
• the number of cots we are able to set up there
• the square footage available in the new facility
• and the American Red Cross guidance of 40 square feet per person.

We determine that the space at the new facility can reasonably accommodate approximately 85 cots while maintaining aisles and safety pathways.

This would increase our standard capacity from 67 cots at Madison Street UMC.

This year, and going forward, we will continue to rely on partner agencies to assist with overflow, just as we would at the new location.

On rare extreme-weather nights, our community could potentially benefit from:

• 85 beds at the new facility, plus
• other agencies that currently contribute to the White Flag Initiative, such as the Salvation Army, The Community Action Agency, Irene Center for Hope, and local churches and the capacities they can accommodate.

The current operations model we have for this phase is as follows:

Phase One begins within The Well building, which already includes a cafeteria, commercial kitchen, main level, and basement level. Each level will serve one gender, allowing the shelter to house 50 men and 35 women for a total of 85 individuals.

Sleeping areas will include organized rows of cots with locker spaces for personal belongings.

To meet safety and code requirements, the following renovations will be completed:

• Installation of a compliant sprinkler system
• Addition of showers on each floor
• Additional laundry facilities
• Any necessary upgrades to meet building and fire codes

Daily Operations

• Meals will be prepared and served in the existing cafeteria and kitchen.
• Case management services will be provided to help residents transition toward housing stability.
• All operations will follow trauma-informed care practices and consistent behavioral expectations.

Services Provided

• Safe overnight shelter on designated nights
• Evening meals daily. Three meals/to-go items provided on Sundays, when other community resources are closed.
• Showers, laundry, and hygiene supplies
• Case management for housing, employment, and benefits
• Group learning and life skills sessions
• Referrals to healthcare, workforce development, and long-term supportive programs

Phase 2: Grow Staffing and Operational Capacity

Once the shelter is operating in a controlled setting, we will:

• increase staffing as funding and need support it
• align existing programs to support shelter participants
• reduce duplication of services between agencies
• continue evaluation and analysis of data and community input on effectiveness and next steps

Establishing operations first allows growth to occur intentionally, within our means, and based on real demonstrated need. This being said, we do have foresight for what staffing structures may need to be implemented in the future.

Phase 3: Consider Expansion Only If Data Shows Expansion Is Needed

If our data shows that additional capacity is necessary, we will pursue expansion based on:

• verified usage trends
• measured outcomes
• staffing capacity
• and community infrastructure readiness

To clarify further, should 24/7/365 shelter be determined as necessary, Clarksville Area Urban Ministries will pursue alternative locations.

We are not pursuing a short-term or symbolic solution. We are building a thoughtful, long-term model guided by evidence rather than assumptions.

Why a Phased Approach Is the Responsible Choice

There is no single system in the United States that provides a complete and fully accurate count of every person experiencing homelessness.

Some programs that are funded by U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) enter information into HMIS (Homeless Management Information System), but not all agencies are HUD-funded or included in that system.

The most reliable source of truth for Clarksville will come from:

• structured operations
• consistent data collection
• and real-time engagement in a facility we can manage

This allows us to document real numbers, real needs, and real outcomes, rather than relying on incomplete regional estimates.

Beginning at a manageable level, measuring outcomes, and scaling intentionally is the most ethical, accountable, and fiscally responsible way to meet this need.

How This Fits Into the Larger Community System

Emergency shelter serves as a front door to stabilization. Our role is to meet immediate needs, day or night, including referrals from:

• police
• hospitals
• concerned citizens
• businesses
• and community partners

From there, individuals are connected to agencies offering longer-term or specialized programs, including:

• Rehabilitation and recovery services
• Community Action Agency resources
• Irene Center for Hope
• Salvation Army’s Pathway of Hope
• Services through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
• and many others within our coordinated network

We are also continuing work through The Canopy Initiative, which supports the development of transitional options for individuals who may be appropriate for step-up programs after stabilization.

A key goal of this project is to reduce strain on:

• local hospitals
• Law enforcement
• Local businesses
• Local nonprofits with nowhere to refer clients to emergency shelter

The institutions listed above frequently release individuals back to the streets with no appropriate placement available.

Why an Emergency Shelter Is the Most Effective First Step Right Now

There are many models of response to homelessness, including tiny home villages, transitional housing, permanent supportive housing, and encampment management.

Those models are most effective in communities that already have:

• strong stabilization systems
• reliable data
• and coordinated emergency shelter capacity

Our greatest current gap is not a lack of permanent housing units, it is the lack of a consistent, structured stabilization environment where people can:

• safely enter services
• be assessed
• engage in case management
• and begin working toward long-term solutions

Emergency shelter is not the final solution. It is the foundation that makes long-term solutions possible.

Once we have sustained operations, real data, and demonstrated outcomes, we will be in a stronger and more responsible position to evaluate whether tiny homes, transitional housing, or additional residential models are appropriate in the future.

How This Complements Ongoing Work Through The Canopy Initiative

Clarksville is already home to a strong network of nonprofit partners who are working together through The Canopy Initiative to expand long-term solutions such as transitional housing, workforce readiness support, and step-up stability programs. These partners are investing time, funding, and program development into creating pathways that help individuals move beyond crisis and toward sustained independence.

These efforts are essential to our community’s long-term strategy. However, the individuals currently cycling between street living, encampments, hospitals, and short-term emergency responses are often not yet ready to enter these transitional programs. Many lack identification documents, income stability, medication management, transportation consistency, or the basic stabilization needed to succeed in longer-term placements.

At this stage, our community has begun building the “next step” programs, but we are still missing the foundational entry point that prepares people to succeed in them. The greatest gap is not the absence of transitional or step-up program planning. The greatest gap is the lack of a reliable emergency stabilization environment where individuals can first be safely engaged, assessed, supported, and prepared for those programs.

The emergency shelter and daytime stabilization model we are proposing does not replace or compete with the work of The Canopy Initiative. It strengthens it. By providing a consistent front-door stabilization setting, we can help individuals:

• transition out of crisis
• complete documentation and assessments
• engage in structured case management
• build readiness for transitional housing and long-term programs

This allows the programs being developed through The Canopy Initiative to receive participants who are better prepared, more stable, and more likely to succeed, creating a stronger and more coordinated continuum of care for Clarksville.

How the Property Purchase Is Proposed to be Funded

The proposed property purchase would be funded through the City of Clarksville’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program, administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

CDBG funds:

• are not local general fund tax dollars
• cannot be redirected to schools, emergency services, or city operations
• may only be used for eligible community development purposes

If this project were not funded through CDBG, the funds would not convert into unrestricted tax dollars, they would simply be reassigned to another eligible CDBG project.

Using CDBG for this facility allows Clarksville to apply federal dollars toward a project that strengthens stability, reduces unmanaged crisis encounters, and supports vulnerable residents in a structured environment, without placing additional burden on local taxpayers.

Why This Location Matters

People experiencing homelessness already gravitate to the downtown area because this is where essential survival resources exist, including:

• food programs
• legal aid
• public assistance offices
• transportation
• nonprofit support agencies

Relocating emergency shelter services away from this network would not reduce homelessness, it would simply make access to help more difficult.

For individuals to stabilize, they must have reliable access to transportation and nearby resources. Moving shelter operations far outside this network would create new barriers that our nonprofit community is not equipped to absorb.

If another affordable and functional facility within this network had become available, we would have evaluated it seriously. At this time and throughout our 3-year search, the Union Street property is the only option that would meet operational needs, financial feasibility, and mission alignment.

How This Benefits the Community

This project:

• strengthens coordination between agencies
• reduces unmanaged crisis interactions
• increases engagement with individuals currently disconnected from support

We will be available to assist when businesses or property owners encounter individuals on their property, with the goal of helping those individuals move into safe, supervised, and stabilized environments.

We are not approaching this work casually or reactively. We are moving forward with a thoughtful, phased, professionally informed plan that allows our community to stabilize people safely while building a long-term, sustainable solution.

Other Community Concerns We Want to Acknowledge and Address

We understand that projects of this nature can raise questions, uncertainty, and understandable concern from residents, businesses, and community stakeholders. Our intent is not to dismiss these concerns, but to respond to them with context, operational details, and the lessons we have learned from many years of direct service work in crisis environments.

The following sections reflect some of the most common concerns that have been expressed, along with information about how this project has been intentionally structured to address them.

Concern: Some residents and business owners may worry that a shelter facility will lead to increases in:

• crime or disorderly behavior
• drug activity
• loitering or congregation outside the building
• feelings of unsafety for families, employees, or customers

Based on our program experience and studies in areas with homeless shelters, unmanaged street activity is most likely to occur when individuals have no supervised environment to engage in and no structured place to go.

Emergency shelter reduces these situations by bringing people indoors, into a setting with trained staff, clear expectations, and accountability procedures.

The model we are proposing includes:

• trauma-informed staff with crisis and de-escalation training
• behavioral expectations linked to participation
• incident response protocols and documentation

At present, many crisis encounters already occur in public spaces, parking lots, and business areas, where there is no supervision or coordinated response. A staffed facility creates a single centralized environment where situations can be monitored, stabilized, and addressed appropriately, rather than scattered emergency interactions across the downtown area.

The alternative to structured shelter is not the absence of activity. Without stabilization space, these same situations continue occurring in unsupervised public environments, without staff support, consistent follow-up, or coordinated care.

Concern: It is reasonable that some community members may worry that a shelter could:

• draw people from other cities
• cause Clarksville to become a regional destination

Our existing warming shelter data does not support this concern, and national research shows no generalizable data that supports that cities with homeless shelters see this growth.

The overwhelming majority of individuals we serve are already residents of Clarksville-Montgomery County.

People are already present in the downtown area because current resources, transportation, and service agencies exist there today. The project does not create movement to this area. It organizes and stabilizes individuals who are already here.

Short-term emergency shelter does not function as a long-distance incentive. Transitional and long-term programs within the Canopy Initiative require:

• identification
• case management engagement
• documentation and verification

These expectations do not align with opportunistic or easy-entry migration patterns.

Emergency stabilization does not create homelessness. It makes visible, and much more manageable, the homelessness that already exists in our community and is already impacting residents, businesses, and public systems.

Concern: We recognize that many people care deeply about long-term housing solutions and may ask why funding is not being directed immediately toward:

• tiny home villages
• transitional housing
• permanent supportive housing

Those models are important components of a broader system, and our community partners are already developing and expanding programs in those areas.

What Clarksville currently lacks is:

• a stabilization entry point
• a reliable, accurate data foundation
• a readiness pathway to help individuals succeed in transitional placements

Without stabilization, many individuals are not yet prepared to remain in transitional or step-up housing environments. This often results in unsuccessful placements and return to crisis.

Emergency shelter serves as:

• the front door into the system
• the engagement point for assessment and case planning
• the foundation that strengthens outcomes in the Canopy Initiative network

It is not a competing model. It is the step that allows the long-term models to function more effectively.

Concern: We understand that business owners may worry about:

• customer impact
• neighborhood perception
• external activity around the facility

Right now, many businesses are already experiencing:

• loitering
• encampments
• restroom-related concerns
• crisis encounters occurring on private property

These issues exist because individuals currently have nowhere structured to go during times of instability.

This project is designed to reduce those burdens by:

• providing a supervised place for relocation
• offering coordinated response pathways for property owners
• increasing engagement in services rather than repeated displacement cycles

Our goal is not to increase interactions on private property. Our goal is to move those interactions into a safe, staffed, and accountable environment where individuals can be stabilized and supported, while reducing their presence around high-traffic commercial and visitor spaces.

Concern: Some community members may reasonably worry about:

• mission creep
• uncontrolled growth
• expansion simply because space becomes available

Our phased approach is intentionally designed to prevent this.

Any future expansion would occur only if:

• data demonstrates a sustained community need
• outcomes support that expansion
• staffing and operational capacity are sufficient
• funding is stable and appropriate
• community partners are engaged in planning

Every phase is:

• deliberate
• evaluated
• documented
• and aligned with real demonstrated need

This project does not expand simply because physical space exists. It expands only if outcomes, data, staffing capacity, and operational responsibility support doing so.

Concern: We recognize that concerns may arise related to:

• smoking areas
• outdoor gathering
• sidewalk presence
• litter or noise

Our operational planning includes:

• a clear outdoor expectations policy
• designated outdoor areas
• staff monitoring during transitions in and out of the building
• behavioral standards tied to participation
• consequences and re-entry structures when expectations are not followed
• collaboration with nearby businesses if issues are identified

These procedures are designed to prevent unmanaged outdoor congregation and to support a respectful and orderly environment surrounding the facility.

Concern: We understand that some residents may be skeptical of nonprofit reporting or may worry that outcomes are based only on good intentions rather than measurable results.

Our program structure includes:

• formal data and case management systems
• monthly, quarterly, and annual reporting practices
• internal and external program and financial audits throughout the year

Because a portion of this project is grant funded, we are subject to:

• strict financial oversight
• data compliance requirements
• reporting guidelines and documentation review

Our organization has a long history of successfully managing state and local grants and adhering closely to grant standards, documentation practices, and operational compliance expectations.

Examples of outcome measures include:

• obtaining identification and essential documents
• completion of referrals and service linkages
• stabilization and goal-progress milestones
• successful transitions into Canopy-aligned programs and long-term supports

This is not a symbolic or charitable effort. It is a structured public-benefit operation with measurable outcomes, formal accountability, and transparent reporting structures.

Thank you for taking the time to review this information and for your thoughtful consideration of supporting this project. Together, we can build a stronger, safer, and more compassionate response for the people who need it most.

Related Resources: 

Government Accountability Office. (2020). Homelessness: Better HUD oversight of data collection could improve homelessness data quality (GAO-20-433). U.S. Government Accountability Office. https://www.gao.gov/assets/gao-20-433.pdf

Portland Office of the Mayor. (2024). The role of emergency shelter in a housing-first system. City of Portland. https://www.portland.gov/mayor/keith-wilson/role-emergency-shelter-housing-first

Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. (2025). We can end homelessness in America — but it requires systems-level solutions. Johns Hopkins Public Health Magazine. https://publichealth.jhu.edu/2025/we-can-end-homelessness-in-america

Chattanooga Regional Homeless Coalition. (2025). 2025 Southeast Tennessee state of homelessness report (2025 Edition). https://newschannel9.com/resources/pdf/739d2def-f710-4ac3-bcf9-598984a31aac-2025EditionSoutheastTNStateofHomelessnessReport.pdf