Habitat and local provider tell commission Davidson County market shows acute affordability gap

Two public commenters at the Dec. 9 Metropolitan Housing Trust Fund Commission meeting urged continued and strategic use of Barnes Fund resources to address a widening local affordability gap.

Lucille Houseworth, who identified herself as a representative of Habitat for Humanity of Greater Nashville, told commissioners she reviewed Davidson County listings before the meeting and found more than 4,000 houses for sale, of which 204 were listed under $250,000 and 755 were listed over $1,000,000. "I point this out because I just want to say thank you to this commission... Having lived here a long time and seen the problem get worse and worse and worse, it is overwhelming need," Houseworth said.

Eddie Latimer, identified by staff as representing Affordable Housing Resources, said Barnes Fund grants enabled a forthcoming project that will put 44 one‑bedroom condos on the market, targeted in part to EMTs, teachers and police. "The only reason it's there is because of the Barnes Fund," Latimer said, noting the project will prioritize those worker groups.

Latimer also asked a policy question about whether limited‑equity cooperatives would be treated as rental or homeownership in the draft RFAs. Director Hubbard replied that limited‑equity co‑ops were included in the rental track because that alignment made sense with the evaluation scoring staff proposed.

Chair thanked the speakers and closed public comment before moving to the financial update and voted items.

The public comments framed the commission's later discussion about how the Barnes Fund's draft policies and scoring matrices should balance different housing types, target populations and equity priorities.