MDHA has a long history of addressing homelessness in Metropolitan Nashville-Davidson County. The Agency administers the HUD Emergency Solutions Grants Program (ESG), Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) and a CoC Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) Program known as Shelter Plus Care. MDHA also manages more than 538 VASH program rental vouchers for Veterans experiencing homelessness.
In November 2023, Nashville’s Continuum of Care General Membership elected to designate the Metropolitan Office of Homeless Services (OHS) as the CoC Collaborative Applicant. Please click here for related OHS updates. Click here to view CoC documents and resources from before the transition.
Where to Turn in Nashville
“Where to Turn in Nashville” is a comprehensive, online directory for individuals and families experiencing homelessness in the Davidson County area.
Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG)
Title IV of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (1987) authorized the Emergency Shelter Grant Program. The Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid Transition to Housing Act of 2009 (HEARTH Act) amended the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, including major revisions to the Emergency Shelter Grants program, which was renamed the Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG) program. MDHA’s Community Development Department administers ESG on behalf of the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County. It does not provide direct services.
The ESG program is designed to identify sheltered and unsheltered homeless persons, as well as those at risk of homelessness, and provide the services necessary to help those persons quickly regain stability in permanent housing after experiencing a housing crisis and/or homelessness.
Funding is allocated to Nashville on an annual basis and awarded to nonprofit agencies on a competitive basis.