Metro Planning proposes $45.7M year‑one housing package, shifts Barnes Fund into operating budget

Lucy Kempf, executive director of Metro Planning, and Angie Hubbard, director of the housing program, told the Metro Council Budget & Finance Committee that the department’s FY2026 request centers on housing and infrastructure work and seeks about $45.7 million in year‑one investments, including a $16 million Barnes Fund allocation included in the mayor’s operating budget.

The request is the first year of the Unified Housing Strategy (UHS), a multi‑strategy plan the department released this month that the presenters described as a road map for addressing homelessness, affordable homeownership and preservation. "We're at a portfolio approaching now combined with operating funds, with ARP, with surplus funding, nearing $180 million," Hubbard said, adding the office has "already awarded over $150 million to projects to fund nearly 6,000 or preserve 6,000 affordable homes across Nashville."

Why it matters: Planning staff said the UHS organizes more than seven strategies and about 40 actions so the city can prioritize annually. The department identified year‑one priorities focused on permanent supportive housing, eviction prevention and keeping people in their homes. Speakers said some measures must be phased because limited funding and staff capacity mean "everything's urgent, but we can't have it all be…