Council committee approves $3.5 million appropriation to DePaul USA for Strobel House after questions about billing and contract errors

The Metro Nashville Budget & Finance Committee voted to appropriate $3,500,000 from the Office of Homeless Services to DePaul USA Inc. for property management, on-site support and case management services at Strobel House permanent supportive housing.

The appropriation was approved after public comment and a lengthy staff discussion about contract paperwork, multiple funding streams and payment procedures. The motion carried with 10 in favor, 0 opposed and 0 not voting.

Why it matters: Council members and the public raised questions about how Strobel House expenses were billed and paid, including apparent clerical errors in a grant contract and use of payment methods that bypassed purchase orders. Committee members pressed the Office of Homeless Services and finance officials for explanations and corrective steps to prevent similar problems going forward.

Public comment flagged contract inconsistencies and billing totals. In public comment, Steve Reiter said he found a “clerical error” in the DePaul contract that listed different term lengths in separate sections and an effective date of June 30, 2026. Reiter also…