Portable Housing Pods For Homeless Population Remain Unused In Nashville Almost A Year After Being Approved

Image Credit: PalletShelter / Facebook

The Tennessee Conservative [By Adelia Kirchner] –

In October of 2024, Nashville officials got approval from the state to use “housing pods” to address the number of homeless individuals on the city streets. 

Almost a year later, none of the housing pods have been used and no organizations have even submitted applications to use them.

This housing initiative was the brainchild of Metro Nashville Councilmember Erin Evans who worked on getting approval for the shelter-type housing for years.

When the state finally gave Evans the go-ahead, she told WSMV that multiple organizations had already reached out to her and expressed interest in using the housing pods as a way to expand their outreach.

“This is where the real work will start because we haven’t been able to make any progress,” Evans stated at the time. “It’s really positive to move forward and figure out if we have a viable way to implement these in Nashville.”

The idea was that nonprofits and homeless outreach organizations already offering resources and aid to Nashville’s homeless population would apply to receive a couple of housing pods, place the pods on their private property, and manage the new housing option as another resource under the organization’s umbrella of services.

It was expected that an organization would only want or be able to take one or two housing pods due to the space limitations of a city environment and a requirement from the Tennessee Fire Marshal’s Office that the housing pods be placed at least twelve feet away from another. 

It was reported that over 100 pallet shelters purchased as “emergency housing” for Covid-19 concerns would be repurposed and made into these housing pods.

The pallet shelters had been sitting in storage since 2021.

“A useful tool that we are going to have to get people off the streets temporarily to find more resources to find a home,” Former Democrat lawmaker and Metro Manager of Federal and State Affairs, Darren Jernigan, said of the project last year. 

“Whether it be housing or jobs or something of that nature, it really does fulfill the mission of these organizations that we are trying to work with,” Jernigan continued.

Next month will mark a year since the project’s initial approval. 

In a recent Facebook post, Evans stated that “there are good reasons” for why no organizations have applied for housing pod placement.

“We have a lot of uncertainty at the federal level around funding for homelessness,” wrote Evans. “Many organizations are not sizeable or resourced well enough to deal with that uncertainty when it comes to taking on new projects like this.”

She also made note of factors like having the available land to place housing pods on, the funds to be able to properly secure the housing area(s), and case management resources of an organization in general.

“What my hope is, is that interested orgs can be detailed in what they think they would need in order to use them,” Evans said, explaining that city officials want to know if there are obstacles faced by organizations that they might be able to address locally.

The councilmember added that if her housing pods project does not pan out in Nashville specifically, maybe the structures can be used in another part of Tennessee.

“There is still the potential that these pods won’t be a fit for Nashville,” said Evans. “But, as I have said from the beginning, breaking down barriers at the state level has been an important process – and ultimately if they don’t work out for Nashville they have the potential of being used somewhere else in our state.”

About the Author: Adelia Kirchner is a Tennessee resident and reporter for the Tennessee Conservative. Currently the host of Subtle Rampage Podcast, she has also worked for the South Dakota State Legislature and interned for Senator Bill Hagerty’s Office in Nashville, Tennessee.  You can reach Adelia at adelia@tennesseeconservativenews.com.