Panhandling is nonstop and costing downtown Nashville businesses customers
NASHVILLE, Tenn. Aug 31 2022 The heart of Music City is getting a bad rep. Business owners say the panhandling is nonstop and costing them customers.
Those who work downtown say the panhandling and homelessness problem on Broadway is getting worse.
“You got to always keep an eye out, make sure they’re not climbing through the window or going through your door, things like that, it’s gotten worse and worse over the years,” said Bob Fort, a security guard who was born and raised in Nashville.
“I’m not heartless,” Fort continued. “But at the same time, something needs to be done. Some laws need to be getting enforced real quick.”
Jason Wright, the assistant manager of Trail West, said they had to close one of their stores because of it.
“It’s affected just tourism in general,” Wright said. “We have a lot of people coming here that said they’ll never come back to Nashville because of the way the panhandlers are, how aggressive they are, and it’s just not a fun, friendly environment. We’ve got people holding signs up there that say profanity on it, and you’re trying to walk down here with kids and stuff. It’s just not good.”
Some visitors who were thinking of relocating to Nashville told FOX 17 News they are now reconsidering, noting the people asking for money on Broadway were extremely aggressive with them.
“We were very taken aback because I didn’t expect that downtown Nashville,” one visitor said. “We asked ourselves, where’s authorities? Like, why is this happening? Like, why is this child out here and it’s midnight?”
“As a clinical social worker, it really does concern me to see the unaddressed issue of homelessness,” another said. “We see an infant and a child and a parent on the street. And we wonder, what kind of prevention is being put in place for Nashville?”
Other visitors like Mike Shillito feel that more should be done to help people.
“It’s just a sad situation,” he said. “All in all, I know what it’s like to be in a predicament where you don’t have anywhere to go and nothing to eat. And I was a small child going through it . . . it’s just sad. ”
FOX 17 News reached out to Metro’s Homeless Impact Division to see what the plan is moving forward.
They said they do not take the situation lightly, and it’s a community issue that will take the community’s effort to solve it.
They added that Mayor Cooper’s proposed $50 million investment brought in offerings that are going through the pipeline if approved by Metro Council.
These offerings include micro housing, additional wraparound services and use of hotels for gap housing.
