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Madison couple housed after years living outside, outreach worker says
Summary
Outreach staff described the multi-year engagement that led to Tanya and Lee moving into permanent housing in August 2024 after outreach beginning in 2022 and post-tornado disruption.
An outreach specialist described to the Homeless Planning Council a multiyear case that resulted in a Madison couple moving into permanent housing in August 2024 after extended outreach and several setbacks.
Nathan Scarlett, outreach specialist with People Loving Nashville, told the council he first met Tanya and Lee in 2022 after they became unhoused following the death of a family member and subsequent housing instability. The couple moved several times while living outside; Scarlett said he reconnected with them repeatedly, built trust and provided casework and referrals.
Scarlett said the couple’s encampment was destroyed by the Dec. 9, 2023 EF-2 tornado that affected Madison and nearby areas, compounding their instability. Tanya entered a supported employment and mental-health treatment track with Park Center; she later applied for and received disability benefits. Scarlett said paperwork and program steps took time: Tanya and Lee were determined eligible for a Section 8-type assistance pathway and ultimately moved into housing on Aug. 7, 2024.
Tanya addressed the council and described the practical hurdles of moving from tent living into an apartment: deposits, pet fees and trauma from extended outdoor living. “You don't realize just how hard it is when you're out there to get that first, last month's rent and deposits,” she said. She described health scares while living outdoors and said having an emotional-support dog increased move-in costs but was important to her stability.
The case highlights outreach persistence, multiple-service coordination — including Park Center and SOAR disability application support — and the time it can take for a household to move from initial outreach to stable housing. Nathan Scarlett said the pair’s VASPeR/VI-SPDAT vulnerability score increased over time and that sustained engagement and referrals ultimately produced a durable housing outcome.
What’s next: Staff cited the case as an example of the time and cross-agency work required to move households from unsheltered situations into permanent housing, and encouraged continued investment in coordinated-entry and outreach capacity.
