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Office of Homeless Services: pallet‑shelter RFP drew no bids; Strobel House reports first‑year outcomes
Summary
The Office of Homeless Services reported that a request for proposals for pallet shelters received no responses because potential providers lacked land or staff; OHS said it will reconvene a multi‑department group and continue interim engagement strategies. OHS also highlighted Strobel House's first year and shared comparative data showing a 2.4%
Allison Kentway of the Metropolitan Office of Homeless Services updated the Public Health and Safety Committee on Sept. 16, reporting that the RFP for pallet shelters produced no responses and summarizing other shelter and housing initiatives. She said potential partners cited two principal barriers to applying: lack of land to site shelters and lack of funding for staff to operate them. OHS will reconvene its multi‑department RFP team to discuss next steps.
Kentway said OHS has collected community input via surveys of people with lived experience; early results show respondents most often prefer converted motel/hotel rooms and tiny homes as interim strategies. She also provided a progress update on Strobel House, Nashville's first publicly funded permanent supportive housing project operated by DePaul USA. Strobel is a 90‑bed facility; Kentway said in the first year it "has served, over a 100 folks, coming from homelessness with, about 2 thirds of them having experienced chronic homelessness prior." She said residents have connected to jobs and health services during the first year and that the council's recent funding resolution supported the program.
Kentway presented regional comparative data showing nationwide increases in homelessness between 2023 and 2024; she said HUD national data for 2025 were not yet available and cautioned that national datasets are still being compiled. Using available comparisons, Kentway said Nashville recorded a 2.4% increase in homelessness between the two reporting years while several peer cities saw larger increases (Austin +36%, Raleigh +18%, Louisville +14%, Denver +10%).
OHS also announced a public 5K fundraiser on Oct. 3 to support Metro Makes a Difference; fees are recommended at $25 with waived fees for people with lived experience. Kentway urged organizations interested in pallet shelters to contact her office directly for follow‑up; she said one potentially promising land lead had been shared with her by Council member Evans.
Ending: OHS will reconvene the interdepartmental team to reassess the pallet shelter RFP approach and continue community engagement on interim shelter strategies while monitoring Strobel House's operations and related outcomes.
