Homelessness in Downtown Nashville

[MTSUBlueraider86]

I thought I would bring up this topic in a more tactful way. How do you see the problem with panhandling, a large presence of homeless, cleanliness of the city, and other issues as a cause of impeding the city growth? My wife is not the only person who had to deal with aggressive homeless that day, so what do we propose?

1) A homeless outreach center downtown like Store Front Ministry used to be on 8th Avenue?

2) "Street" social workers walking the streets like pedestrian police?

3) Public restrooms built for the homeless and maintained by the city?

4) Mobile medical care?

5) "Safe" areas where the homeless could sleep or rest such as a public shelter with private stalls and monitored by police?

How does this issue affect development, retail leases, future downtown residents, hotels?

Ed Mroz from the Sheraton recently commented in the Tennessean that the homeless were adversely affecting his business which in effect, causes people to not stay at the property.

Discuss.

BR86

[MTSUBlueraider86]

Here is an article about Neighborhood Revitalization. Its an excellent article that incorporates the issues with homelessness and the urban built fabric and how many urban neighborhoods were abandoned.

http://americancity.org/columns/entry/2659/

Its worth a look.

BR86