Nashville Office of Homeless Services presents mayor-backed budget, warns ARPA-funded positions will expire

April Calvin, director of the Office of Homeless Services, told the Budget & Finance Meetings— Taxonomy that her office’s mayor-backed budget request would strengthen staffing, expand permanent supportive housing (PSH) and enhance emergency shelter operations while warning that many positions rely on one-time American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding that will expire.

The request matters because Calvin said the department oversees interventions that have helped lower deaths among people experiencing homelessness and because major revenue streams and programmatic supports are uncertain. "To whom much is given, much is required," Calvin said, summarizing the department’s posture as a new office under intense public demand and audit scrutiny.

Calvin said the Office of Homeless Services (OHS) has about 30 employees, including one grant-funded position and roughly 15 positions paid through ARPA. The office operates the community’s Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) alongside more than 40 partner agencies and manages Continuum of Care (CoC) funds that Calvin said increased by about $5 million this year to a little more than $11 million. OHS reported helping to house nearly 2,000 people per year through the local system and attributed a 45 percent reduction in…