Tag: Tennessee Housing Development Agency

Murfreesboro to Spend $150,000 of Taxpayer Money to Fight Homelessness

Chris Butler

Murfreesboro officials will use $150,000 of federal taxpayer money to address homelessness, although, when asked, city officials did not describe their specific goals or how they plan to use this money to get results. City Council members voted this month to use a federal HUD grant to tackle homelessness in the city, according to a press release. The $150,000 in grant funding plus an $11,250 administrative allowance allocation comes from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development through the Tennessee Housing Development Agency. The City of Murfreesboro was one of four jurisdictions in Tennessee eligible to apply, the press release said. City spokesman Mike Browning did not tell The Tennessee Star specifically how city officials plan to use this money to get results. The press release went on to say that on related grant funding, HUD also awarded an $18,503 grant to the city to support the Executive Director of the Housing, Health and Human Services Alliance of Rutherford County in planning initiatives such as coordination of activities and project monitoring. H3ARC, through its member agencies, provides services to homeless individuals or individuals in danger of becoming homeless, the press release said. As The Star reported last year, similar…

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Tennessee to Give Out Money to Help Homebuyers

Chris Butler

The state of Tennessee has $80 million in taxpayer money to give out so people can buy new homes. Congress allocated this money to Tennessee two years ago, said Ralph Perry, executive director of the Tennessee Housing Development Agency. THDA eligible borrowers who want to buy an existing home in areas of Tennessee where people suffer the most from bankruptcies, foreclosures, and unemployment will get $15,000 for a down payment closing cost. Exactly 62 Tennessee zip codes qualify, Perry said. This, Perry said, is the second phase of the Hardest Hit program, started in 2012, to give to people affected by the 2008 recession. “It really came as a surprise to us because while Tennessee used all its money I believe there was well over $1 billion left unspent in other states,” Perry told The Tennessee Star. “So it was a surprise when some senators added some additional money to it. And our share was relatively a small part of the pot but we have some $60 million we were able to put to use in this way.” THDA officials have until the end of 2020 to give all the money out, Perry said. By the terms of the program,…

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From Utilities to Sea Turtles, Tennesseans Help Hurricane Victims

Jason M. Reynolds

Tennesseans’ responses to the recent hurricanes has included the traditional measures of sending money and supplies as well as more creative efforts like providing housing for evacuees and sea turtles. The Volunteer State lived up to its name as individuals, churches, utilities, emergency responders and others offered their support to residents of Texas, Louisiana, Georgia and Florida from hurricanes Harvey and Irma. Metro Nashville Water Services sent 27 employees to Key West and Key Largo, the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency reported on Sept. 15. The utility has experience in restoring services after disasters, such as the 2010 Nashville flood. The utility workers will spend 11 days repairing water lines along the Florida Keys Aqueduct which serves almost 50,000 customers in the Florida Keys. The team will operate from Marathon, Florida. “Power restoration and petroleum supplies are of significant concern, and many survivors cannot reach their homes due to debris and flooding,” Patrick Sheehan, TEMA director, said in the statement. Tennessee’s emergency services response to Irma victims has included five ambulance strike teams, two public health incident management teams, an urban search and rescue team, and a nurse strike team, TEMA reported. The Murfreesboro Fire Rescue Department and Rutherford County Special…

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Development Proposal For Nashville’s Historic Fort Negley Park Includes Plans For Welfare Housing

Wendy Wilson

The proposal accepted by Nashville Mayor Megan Barry to redevelop Fort Negley Park calls for affordable housing subsidized by government programs including tax credits and Section 8 vouchers. The plan by Cloud Hill Partnership has already drawn fierce opposition because of concerns about historic preservation. Located south of downtown, the land is home to a fort built during the Union occupation of Nashville during the Civil War and also includes Greer Stadium, where the Nashville Sounds minor league baseball team played until moving to a new stadium north of downtown in 2015. City officials have not yet entered into a formal agreement with Cloud Hill and negotiations for the public-private partnership are stalled pending a protest by a competing developer whose bid was turned down. In addition to affordable and workforce housing, Cloud Hill’s plan includes green space, creative spaces for artists, offices, and shops and restaurants. It also calls for preserving the fort and honoring and protecting history. The residential component includes plans for 294 apartments. They would include 87 studio, 68 one-bedroom, 119 two-bedroom and 20 three-bedroom apartments. At least 80 of the 294 apartments would be reserved as affordable units for those earning less than 50 percent of the…

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