"Residents of the condemned Tent City where two dozen homeless people live have been granted an indefinite reprieve."

Don Aaron is right; everyone is working to do the right thing. It is simply a matter of perspective as to what that "right thing" should be. One should also consider that each agency working on the issue comes at it from their own point of view; police worry about the safety and crime issues; Public Health worries about the sanitary aspects; Metro animal control worries about the critters on the loose; Inner City worries about their constituency and volunteers; MDHA worries about the demand for services; Park Center and other mental health/homeless service agencies worry about the overall health of the residents; residents themselves worry about all these things as well, and everyone worries about the costs to taxpayers and the city as a result of what transpires at the camp. Everyone in this debate has valid issues - and they must be addressed. As an advocate for the camp members, I'm arguing again that we I don't believe we need to destroy the village to save it. With that said, I would echo the argument first put forward to me by Sara Hylton, from Loaves and Fishes, that if we do empty Tent City on or about November 1st (the logical date for closing since Room in the Inn opens at this point; Eric Cole and other Commission members, including Charlie Strobel, architect of the program, have stated that Tent City residents would have "priority" for beds each night) we work to implement an "official" Tent City at this same location, with re-entry priority given to current residents when Room in the Inn ends on April 1, 2009. We can make this a safe and viable portion of our community. It doesn't appear to make very good sense to me that we'd close a neighborhood - which is exactly what this area is - throw everyone out of homes that have served them as well as any of our homes have served us, then place the burden on the taxpayers and the city to rehouse them again. It would be different, I believe, if Inner City Ministry wanted the camp vacated, but they don't. Lytle Thomas, the organization's executive director, has stated for the record that he'd like to see dumpsters and portapotties installed at the site and a limit on the population allowed to live there, but he does not want the site to close. While he argues that "as a society, surely we can do better than this," he is also aware that although we can, we haven't and the folks at the location will face extreme difficulties, not to mention serious safety risks, if they are forced from the camp.

Tent City closing delayed

Police postpone plans to clear out homeless camp

By KATE HOWARD • Staff Writer • September 11, 2008

JOHN PARTIPILO / THE TENNESSEAN

Ed has a drink of water in his makeshift home, a metal structure without air conditioning, in Tent City. The encampment will not be closed Sept. 22, as planned.

JOHN PARTIPILO / THE TENNESSEAN

Park Center outreach worker Steve Samra distributes food and tobacco at a homeless encampment called Tent City.

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Tent City closure postponed — for now

By KATE HOWARD • Staff Writer • September 10, 2008

Residents of the condemned Tent City where two dozen homeless people camp have been granted an indefinite reprieve.

Metro police spokesman Don Aaron said the department has postponed plans to close down the encampment on Sept. 22 and cite anyone who doesn’t leave. Advocates and members of the Metropolitan Homelessness Commission asked last week for more time to find housing for residents. No new date has been set, according to police.

“Everybody is working to do the right thing,” Aaron said. “Ultimately, we believe the right thing to do — due to health and safety concerns — is to close Tent City, although it appears now it will be on a date past Sept. 22.”

The encampment off Hermitage Avenue is set back from the road, and homes range from a tent and a couch to more elaborate wooden structures. The police and Metro Public Works initially planned to clear out the camp and level it the next day to begin cleanup, citing health concerns over the lack of sanitation and infestation of rats.

The small, close-knit camp is a microcosm of the city’s growing homeless population. An estimated 2,500 to 3,000 people sleep on the streets at any given time, and social service agencies say they serve 11,000 people experiencing homelessness each year. The decision to postpone closure pleased those working with the homeless community, who started scrambling for solutions last week when fliers appeared at the camp announcing the impending closure. “From my perspective, this is a more thoughtful, measured approach,” said Councilman Erik Cole, who chairs the commission. “We appreciate that the police are willing to look at this and take the time to consider the future circumstances of everyone at the camp.” Employees with the Metropolitan Development and Housing Agency and other outreach workers are doing extensive case management to help those who want and qualify for housing, Cole said. Thus far, seven of the approximately 25 people living in the camp appear to have options, said Steve Samra, an outreach worker with the Park Center who is assisting the residents. One was arrested; Robert Copeland is in jail after charged with aggravated assault in connection with the stabbing many believe sparked the closure. A few are applying to housing programs. One is trying to reunite with family. But there are some, too sick or too insistent on camping life, that are resisting the help, Samra said. “It’s very difficult to convince a person who doesn’t want any help to accept help,” Samra said. A landscaping company has donated their services to help with cleanup, and a donated dumpster may be on the way, Samra said. They are continuing with their cleanup project at the site where people have lived for decades without water or electricity, in hopes that the city will find a will or a way to allow them to return to a rehabbed camp next spring.

This story has been amended from a previous version.