Nashville Homeless Power Project

The NRM Staff treat me like “dirt”, “less than human”, “animal”, “prisoner” and “a dog”, “sh@t”, “child”
- These are quotes contained from written statements of 48 different homeless people who have stayed at the Nashville Rescue Mission (NRM)

I have a lot of compassion for the staff of the Nashville Rescue Mission; it can be a very scary and difficult thing to work in that environment. However, I wish they had more opportunity for professional training, especially as it relates to job burn-out, because often times with staff that have burn-out the result is they take their frustration out on their clients. I have heard innumerable stories from my clients about the Nashville Rescue Mission staff treating them very badly. - Homeless Case Manager & Supervisor

Some of them are insensitive to other people’s feelings and situations; they throw their problems on the residents and are inconsiderate of people’s personal belongings and space. Some staff are very rude and don’t know how to treat people. The staff treats people like they are children and don’t help mothers and children get housing, and (we) can’t do laundry. - Homeless Client of NRM

In January 2007, I entered the NRM and asked Chaplain Ray for a Grievance Form. He told me with a sneer, “You want a grievance form?? Here you go!” and handed me a prayer card.
-Homeless Client of the NRM

Several times men came into our agency with bruised arms from what was reported as being forcefully yanked into or out of line at the Mission by staff members there. A couple of times people showed up with black eyes they said Mission staff had given them. The level of violence and intimidation at the Mission seems very high. - Former Homeless Case Manager

Don Worrell, Director of NRM Programs, told me on my first visit to the Mission that it was the Mission’s goal to make the shelter arrangements uncomfortable. He told me that if the shelter is welcoming and comfortable, people will be more likely to stay in the transient part of the Mission. From what I can tell, being homeless in general is not a comfortable situation to be in, and a safe, clean, and comfortable emergency shelter could give someone the stability or encouragement he or she needs to leave the harsh streets. - Homeless Case Manager & Supervisor

From August 22nd, 2007 to September 27th, 2007, the Nashville Homeless Power Project (NHPP) has surveyed 186 homeless people, 113 of whom are currently clients of the Nashville Rescue Mission (NRM). The remaining 73 have been clients in the past. Also in the same time frame, we received anonymous statements from 10 homeless case managers from 7 different homeless service agencies, and the written testimony of 4 Northwestern University students that stayed at the NRM during the month of August.

The survey, testimonials, and various documents which comprise this report were collected because of continual complaints from homeless individuals about the “horrible conditions” at the Nashville Rescue Mission. The NHPP has heard these types of reports without solicitation from hundreds of homeless people, and have heard similar reports from people who stayed at the Mission back in 1997 to present day 2007. The NHPP is confident that this report effectively demonstrates the condemnable reality described by clients of the NRM. Further, we believe that a random sampling of homeless people would reveal similar and countless horror stories of their time at the NRM; it is possibly the recipient of the majority of complaints of maltreatment of all homeless services agency in the city.

The purpose of this report is to facilitate extensive change within the NRM so that it will 1) provide its clients with the dignity and respect that every human being deserves, and 2) improve NRM’s capacity to move people from shelter toward permanent housing. To this end, the NHPP has compiled a comprehensive list QUALITY OF LIFE REQUESTS that NHPP believes will help NRM reach the previously stated goals (this list can be found on pages:9-11of full report). The NHPP does not believe that we have the “only way” to improve conditions at the NRM, but we believe that there are some key actions that must be taken in order for real change to occur:

NRM should re-orient itself to facilitate “transients” toward housing by assisting them to leave the shelter as soon as they are able to make the next steps toward transitional living or permanent housing, work, services, and/or benefits.
Such re-orientation should include providing trained referral workers, provision of phones, protection from extreme severe weather conditions, job readiness programs, and storage for people’s personal belongings.
Mary Crutcher, Coordinator of the Women’s Mission should be removed from directly interacting with Mission Clients, especially with the “transients,” which is the label given to homeless individuals who utilize Emergency shelter services at NRM, but are not a part of their specialized programs.
Don Worrell, Director of Programs, should be replaced with someone who is a “people person,” and understands how to create a culture that remembers tough love while also treating people decently.
The NRM should develop thorough staff policies that illustrates its priority to treat all of their clients with dignity and respect.
The NRM should institute a training course to ensure that all NRM staff members understand NRM policies and processes, which should include measures of accountability to clients.

As of September 27, 2007, 186 individuals who are staying or have stayed at the NRM have completed the survey. 61% (76 people) of those surveyed are currently staying at the mission, and 68% (126) of those surveyed are men.

The greatest concerns and suggested solutions offered by those surveyed can be summarized in the following statement:

NRM needs to implement the following changes in order to better facilitate transition from shelter toward self-sustainability (housing, job, benefits, etc). Specifically, NRM needs to address:

Treatment of clients by staff, and
Services, facilities, and policies that perpetuate homelessness

TOP ISSUES IDENTIFIED FROM CLIENTS (MEN & WOMEN) OF NRM
ISSUE                                                            # from 186 surveys    Percentage
Need for a laundry facility                             123                  66%
Throwing away our personal belongings        108                  58%
The way the Mission staff treat’ us                99                    53%

TOP SOLUTIONS IDENTIFIED FROM CLIENTS (MEN & WOMEN) OF NRM
ISSUE                                                                                                # from 186 surveys    Percentage
Free or very cheap lockers/storage place for things                                        94                    51%
Install several phones that are free of charge for use of finding work.          98                    53%
Guaranteed indoor access when it is hotter than 85F degrees and colder than 41F degrees.
                                                                                                                        94                    51%
More activities for transients such as GED training, access to computers, books, and phones    83                    45%
ISSUES FROM THE WOMEN OF EXTRA CONCERN
ISSUE                                                            # from 60 surveys      Percentage
Throwing away our personal belongings        37                    62%
Need for a laundry facility                             48                    80%

SOLUTIONS PRESENTED FROM WOMEN OF EXTRA CONCERN
Removal of specific staff members,             32                   53%
Childcare for parents when they are looking for work during the day.
                                                                        25                    42%
STAFF OF NASHVILLE RESCUE MISSION
A key change that would get to the root of all the issues presented would be a replacement of staff, and implementation of a caring and supportive culture and policies that direct staff to (i) treat people with the respect and dignity they deserve, and (ii) encourage the movement from transience to transitional and permanent housing.

Key Staff needing to be removed from direct interaction with clients: Mary Crutcher, Doug Crawford, Chaplain Ray Hudson.

This survey was conducted with homeless and formerly homeless people by homeless and formerly homeless people from August 22, 2007 until September 26th, 2007.

Individuals currently staying at the Mission: 113
Individuals who have stayed at the Mission: 73

Men who do or have stayed at the Mission: 126
Women who do or have stayed at the Mission: 60

MEN & WOMEN TOGETHER
WHAT ARE THE 3 MOST IMPORTANT ISSUES THAT YOU ARE DEALING WITH AT THE MISSION?
***Those survey were asked to check the three issues that were of most concern.***
Below they are listed from those that were of concern to the most number of people and to the least:

# from 186 surveys Percentage
1) The way, the Mission staff treat’ us. 99 53%

WHAT ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT CHANGES THAT YOU THINK NEED TO HAPPEN?
# from 186 surveys Percentage
1) Sensitivity Training of all Mission staff 58 31%
This is an extensive training that would be mandatory to all staff and the first one would be at least one full day. This is several hours of training be a requirement to occur for all new staff within 6 months of their hiring. If not immediately

2) Sensitivity Training, for the new “ PROGRAM” people, who are working with “transients” 51 27%

5) Install several phones that are free of charge for use of finding work. 98 53%

8) More indoor activities for transients such as GED training, access to computers, books and phones 83 45%

9) Guaranteed indoor access when it is hotter than85 degrees and colder than41 degrees. 94 51%

MEN
WHAT ARE THE 3 MOST IMPORTANT ISSUES THAT YOU ARE DEALING WITH AT THE MISSION?
***Those survey were asked to check the three issues that were of most concern.***
Below they are listed from those that were of concern to the most number of people and to the least:

# from 126 surveys Percentage
1) The way, the Mission staff treat’ us. 73 58%

WHAT ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT CHANGES THAT YOU THINK NEED TO HAPPEN?
# from 126 surveys Percentage
1) Sensitivity Training of all Mission staff 45 36%
This is an extensive training that would be mandatory to all staff and the first one would be at least one full day. This is several hours of training be a requirement to occur for all new staff within 6 months of their hiring.

2) Sensitivity Training, for the new “ PROGRAM” people, who are working with “transients” 30 24%

5) Install several phones that are free of charge for use of finding work. 69 55%

8) More indoor activities for transients such as GED training, access to computers, books and phones 59 47%

9) Guaranteed indoor access when it is hotter than85 degrees and colder than41 degrees. 76 60%

WOMEN # from 60 surveys Percentage
1) The way, the Mission staff treat’ us. 30 50%

What are the most important changes that you think need to happen?
CHOOSE THE 3 MOST IMPORTANT SOLUTIONS

# from 60 surveys Percentage
1) Sensitivity Training of all Mission staff 18 30%
This is an extensive training that would be mandatory to all staff and the first one would be at least one full day. This is several hours of training be a requirement to occur for all new staff within 6 months of their hiring. If not immediately

2) Sensitivity Training, for the new “ PROGRAM” people, who are working with “transients”

5) Install several phones that are free of charge for use of finding work.
32 53%

8) More indoor activities for transients such as GED training, access to computers, books and phones 30 50%

9) Guaranteed indoor access when it is hotter than 85 degrees and colder than 41 degrees. 17 28%

Nashville Homeless Power Project reviewed the full report from the 186 members who are current or former clients of the Nashville Rescue Mission (NRM), and considered oral testimony and copies of grievances received over the last 9 months. Together with some knowledge of how the NRM currently works, we developed the following requests to the Nashville Rescue Mission. As NHPP did not receive any of the requested materials we have to ask the questions based on the assumption that you do not have written policies.

***Requests marked “KEY” are request that NHPP feels are vital to changing the conditions of the NRM for the better***

STAFF & STAFF TRAINING
KEY: Can you find and hire staff to emulate Ms. Theresa? We have heard countless reports of her kindness to NRM clients and would like to thank you for keeping her as NRM staff and ask that you continue to hire and create a culture of NRM employees who emulate her kind heartedness.

KEY: Can you find and hire staff to emulate Mr. John Darnell? Again, we have heard several positive reports about him being thoughtful, kind and responsive to the needs of NRM clients. We have heard that he very much embodies the spirit of Christ that we know NRM seeks to cultivate.

KEY: Will the NRM develop more thorough policies as part of a staff manual that dictates a “code of conduct” of all staff and NRM volunteers and their interaction with the NRM “transients?” If so, will you share this manual with the Nashville Homeless Power Project?

KEY: Will the NRM institute a training cycle that ensures that all NRM staff understand NRM policies and understand the accountability process that ensures that all NRM clients are treated appropriately? Will the NRM make this process transparent to the Nashville Homeless Power Project or a third party agreeable to the Nashville Homeless Power Project?

Staff Evaluation Process: Will you conduct a thorough staff evaluation that creates the possibility of input from all “transients” who enter the Mission over a 2 – 7 day period? That this staff evaluation process be implemented to inform your senior staff who is most qualified to engage with “transients” and who may be better suited in other NRM roles. If so, will you make this process transparent the Nashville Homeless Power Project or to a third party supported by the Nashville Homeless Power Project (i.e. Metro Commission).

KEY: Mary Crutcher: Will you change Ms. Crutcher (currently the coordinator of the Women’s Mission), to a role within the NRM that does not require interaction or direct authority over the transients? There have been countless reports (written and oral) from homeless and outreach workers sharing that Ms. Crutcher’s interaction with transients is consistently negative and demeaning.

KEY: Director of Programs: It seems that this position, while not directly interfacing with the “transients” is responsible for the staffing at both the Men’s and Women’s Mission and sets the tone and culture for staff engagement with the transients. Mr. Worrell has many valuable skills that are important to the NRM but as far as NHPP can tell from direct and indirect reports, he self-admittedly creates a very negative culture that perpetuates at least some of the issues that arise for NRM “transients”. Will you put someone that is skilled at 1) honoring the colleagues and clients for whom he/she serves, and 2) instituting an organizational culture that does the same?

In addition to Mary Crutcher and Don Worrell, could you please make a direct evaluation of the conduct of Chaplain Ray Hudson, Doug Crawford, and Mary Smith?

GETTING BACK ON OUR FEET
KEY: Personal determination is critical for one to move from homelessness to a stable home. Once personal determination is there, the majority of people require basic tools that will allow the move from the streets to a home to occur. The NRM can play a critical role to help this to occur. Will the NRM provide or provide space for other agencies to provide the following within your facilities:

Phones so that transients can be in touch with prospective and existing employers as well as family.
Several computers for the purpose of “transients” to do work related tasks (work search, resume creating, etc)
Access to GED training or other educational tools that will increase opportunities for future employment
Case workers or workers trained in provided “referral assistance” that will assist individuals to identify work and housing opportunities as well a facilitate the receipt of benefits and income that those who cannot work require so that they can gain the income necessary for moving into a home.

GRIEVANCE FORMS AND EXIT POLICY
KEY: Will you move the Grievance Forms to a location less visible to staff? The current place is intimidating to most of your clients because they are afraid that if they are seen filling one out that they will be kicked out. The NHPP is glad to provide references from several agencies locally and from around the country about the appropriate protocol of maintaining a level of anonymity of clients that wish to file complaints or grievances.

NHPP greatly appreciates that NRM made a Grievance Policy and Grievance Form available to NHPP and to the NRM clients over the last 8 months. Nonetheless, NHPP has only received one positive report of a grievance process being carried through from start to finish with thoroughness and professionalism. Could you please be sure that this process be included in any training and training manual that NRM creates or expands upon?

Currently, NRM has agreed to provide “transients” with a reason in writing as to why they have been “barred” from the NRM if the transient requests it. Can the reason in writing be instituted as a matter of protocol whether or not the client requests it directly?

LOCKERS
Is it possible to make sure that every transient has a safe place to store their personal belongs that is only accessed by that individual? How can we work to improve the locker system at both the Men’s and Women’s Mission?

Can women at the Women’s Mission be provided with lockers at an extremely low cost (a dollar for the key and renewed every two weeks?)

RELIGION IN THE MISSION
KEY: NHPP is a deeply spiritual organization and respects and appreciate the role of religion and spirituality in all people’s lives irrespective of housing status. NHPP also respect Freedom of Religion as dictated by the US Constitution. The NRM is the only large emergency shelter in the city and therefore those that would like shelter but would not like to go to church every night of the week are afforded with no options other than the streets. Will NRM make church service optional?

WEATHER CONDITIONS
From the results of the NHPP survey, “transients” overwhelmingly requested that they be guaranteed “indoor access when it is hotter than 85 degrees and colder than 41 degrees”. Can you guarantee this?

TRANSIENT WORKERS
Can NRM allow more flexibility of arrival time for “transients” who work the night shift?

Can NRM create a program that allows people who are working full time an opportunity to save up their money?

ACCOUNTABILITY TO YOUR CLIENTS
Can the Nashville Homeless Power Project and the Nashville Rescue Mission meet on a quarterly basis to evaluate progress?

Would the Nashville Rescue Mission consider developing a Consumer’s Board of Advisors that is composed of clients and former clients of the NRM and selected by the Metro Commission to End Chronic Homelessness and/or the Nashville Homeless Power Project?

I was offered no services and no needs assessment, and other than the instruction to be at the chapel, I wasn’t told where I should go, what I could do, or where I might eventually be sleeping.
– Carolyn Beeler, Northwestern Student

The food was pretty terrible. The chili was mostly juice, with about 4 noodles and a handful of beans. They had ran out of spoons, so I couldn’t eat most of it because it was just liquid and I had a fork. The iced tea was old and gross and almost undrinkable, and the cream-sicle was completely melted and therefore not really able to be eaten. – Emily Laning, Northwestern Student

At the door to the mission people were told to leave their belongings in the waiting area next to the building where they appeared to be susceptible to being stolen. – William Crouse, Northwestern Student

A few women were whispering or talking and some babies and children were making noise, so she told us we would have to wait after Chapel for her to dismiss us, since we “wanted to play around” while she was giving announcements. This exercise of power reminded me of middle school, when we missed part of recess because a few people weren’t behaving. Basically, they belittled the group, a group mostly comprised of adult women. - Samantha Reed, Northwestern Student

I sat down in the front office next to Teresa’s computer, and waited for about five minutes while she wrote a complaint of a seller on Amazon.com. When she got around to addressing me, she was short and brash but not especially rude. – Carolyn Beeler, Northwestern Student

The staff were not overtly rude, nor were they kind; throughout my day, the directions given to move from one room to another reminded me of herding sheep or Middle-school. – William Crouse, Northwestern Student

Instead of helping these women find a way out of their situation or at least making them comfortable or knowledgeable about the mission itself, the staff did little to inform us exactly where the linens were, or that we needed to receive toilet paper from the front office in order to use the restroom. - Samantha Reed, Northwestern Student

The sleeping arrangement stinks. The rooms are freezing with many sick men coughing and hacking throughout the night—conditions not conducive to staying healthy or sleeping well. Also the constant light is another factor preventing easy-sleep. – William Crouse, Northwestern Student

Nobody seems to enjoy the shelter, and a lot of that stems from their loss of autonomy and independence. They also feel that they aren’t treated in a very humane way… their individual freedoms are limited by requiring them to be at a certain place at a certain time wearing certain clothes. - Samantha Reed, Northwestern Student

Ray told me that there were many veterans at the Mission. I saw two older men in wheel chairs, both with only one leg apiece. – William Crouse, Northwestern Student

For the rest of the night aside from Chapel my only interaction with the staff was to have them tell me to move. I was never informed of any services offered by the mission to help people into drug rehab or some form of AA or to get a job. It seemed that the only reason the Mission staff were there was to usher us from dinner to chapel to bed. – William Crouse, Northwestern Student

Immediately after, while some women were still receiving prayer, Teresa returned to the podium to assign a few remaining beds, and told us that linens were at 8, beds at 8:30. Then she dismissed us from the chapel, but told us, “Don’t even think about asking to have the TV turned on tonight!” Apparently, this was punishment for the undefined group transgression during roll call. – Carolyn Beeler, Northwestern Student

I went in to go to the bathroom, and there was no toilet paper, towels, or soap, so I just had to make do. – Emily Laning, Northwestern Student

One of Ray’s friends approached him and told ray that his suitcase had been stolen. People’s things being stolen from the place where they were kept outside the mission apparently was not at all unusual. – William Crouse, Northwestern Student

One woman, Sally, is an alcoholic, and had gotten drunk that day, so everyone was telling her it was going to be okay, and not to do it again. She had talked to Teresa when she walked in, and was very thankful that she hadn’t gotten kicked out of her bed and made to sleep on the chapel floor. Everyone agreed that if it had been any other staff member, Sally would have lost her bed of two months because she “messed up.” – Carolyn Beeler, Northwestern Student

I ate breakfast at 5:30 which consisted of stale cereal with petrified raisins, a banana, and donut wholes. The donut wholes and banana were good and the cereal wasn’t terrible. With the combination of “real” milk Ray said it was the best breakfast he’d had there in a while. Usually they are given skim or soy milk. He also told me that the dinner the night before was “unreal.” It apparently was also the best meal served there in some time. – William Crouse, Northwestern Student

We went down to breakfast, where we waited for about 10 minutes to get food. A staff member walked down the line yelling at everyone to get all of their belongings out of the chapel. We wouldn’t be served until everything was taken out of the chapel. We were served grits, which we were only given a fork to eat, and a piece of bread. – Carolyn Beeler, Northwestern Student

the main thing that struck me was how the guests were treated by the staff. They were very disrespectful, and treated the women almost like they were children. – Carolyn Beeler, Northwestern Student

I can understand that they need some rules to keep the place running and keep order, but I could see how it would get really demoralizing never to have any choice and to always be treated as a child. – Emily Laning, Northwestern Student

Case Manager & Supervisor, Agency 1
I have a lot of compassion for the staff of the Nashville Rescue Mission, it can be a very scary and difficult thing to work in that environment. However, I wish they had more opportunity for professional training, especially as it relates to burn out because often times with staff that have burn out the result is they take it out on their clients. I have heard innumerable stories from my clients about the Nashville Rescue Mission staff treating them very badly.

Case Manager & Supervisor, Agency 2
I was told by Rader Walker that the Mission is against “housing first” because it would reduce the need for emergency shelter and give the Mission less opportunity to save souls.

In approx 3 to 4 years, I have never received a referral from the Mission to provide services to a homeless individual.

Staff at the Mission are not trained to serve people who have a mental illness and many of my clients have been barred from the Mission because of their mental health symptoms.

Don Worrell told me on my first visit to the Mission that it was the Mission’s goal to make the shelter arrangements uncomfortable. He believes that if the shelter is welcoming and comfortable, people will be more likely to stay in the transient part of the Mission. From what I can tell, being homeless in general is not a comfortable situation to be in, and a safe, clean, and comfortable emergency shelter could give someone the stability or encouragement he or she needs to leave the harsh streets.

…I have actually seen donated items with post-it notes on it with the names of Mission directors. Big televisions, nice antique furniture, and other items are often off limits to homeless and formerly homeless.

Mission staff regularly discourages homeless individuals from applying for disability benefits offered by the Social Security Administration. My clients who stay at the Mission always do not want their mail from the Social Security Administration to be sent to the Mission because they fear that they will be kicked out or treated differently.

If Mary Crutcher doesn’t like you for whatever reason, you can plan on being barred at some point for something superficial.

Chaplains at the Mission usually greet me with suspicion until they realize I am not homeless. When they realize I am a service provider, some proceed to breach confidentiality by talking about shelter residents openly and in front of other shelter residents. Their comments about the homeless are often what I consider to be judgmental, way over-simplified, and void of any understanding of the multi-faceted causes of homelessness (last time I checked available data and literature, “not being saved” is not a cause of homelessness). Pastoral care provided by trained pastors and chaplains should foster a safe environment where empathy and confidentiality rule.

One of my clients spent 26 years in prison for a crime he committed when he was 15 years old. He now experiences severe depression and PTSD from witnessing murders, stabbings, and suicides while incarcerated. After 26 years in prison, he was discharged to the Mission where he continued to experience trauma. One night, a guy in the next bunk started moaning and my client thought it was someone having sex. He rolled over and realized the guy was getting stabbed. He left the Mission and began living under a bridge because he felt safer there.

Case Manager, Agency 3
They get talked to like they are dogs. They are treated less than human. From what I understand they will get kicked out for the slightest little thing like talking back. I’ve had guys tell me that over and over. When I ask NRM staff about these situations, the NRM staff will tell will tell me that “they f#c@ed up”. I have had my clients tell me that they have been hit by staff and whenever I question go to confirm that with staff, the NRM staff that they [the transient] started a fight and often they don’t even deny hitting them. I don’t believe that they [transients] ALWAYS instigated to cause the staff to hit them. They [NRM staff] are good at calling Metro so if they are really in danger why wouldn’t they just call Metro and why would they need to hit anyone?

Some have told me: “I’m glad the Mission is here but I do feel like I should be treated like a human being.” Josh Darnell is very helpful and I am sorry that Frank is leaving but other than that?...

I’ve seen when they would just kick people out left and right. I wish that there was a way that the staff “up there” could understand what is going on down there. They really need to go down there and see for themselves. The administrative staff needs to be and see what is happening in the day to day world of the operations of the mission.

Case Manager, Agency 4
As a long term advocate for the homeless I have witnessed a lot of changes in and around the homeless community. I have seen what, was once, “territorial war”, become a collaborative effort on the part of many agencies serving the homeless. I have seen issues that were once denied, being addressed.

One of my clients, new to Nashville and new to being homeless as well shared about his most recent experience at the Mission and it very much concerned the Mission’s operations. He is a very optimistic person and will not be homeless for long. Normally, he has nothing but good things to say but he reported that the Mission staff had been very disrespectful to his colleagues. My client shared that the mission staff member was “showing out on his authority” and he felt it was going to lead to trouble. He used the term “snakes in the pulpit” to describe recent encounters with the staff.

My hope is that transparency will be the operation of the day and that we all can learn to receive advice from the consumers being the change agent, to better address the needs of this population. I trust we can all work together as the pressure of a renovated downtown seek to move the homeless out and away from this area.

Case Manager, Agency 5
I have had people tell me that if they worshipped in the way that they wanted to worship at Chapel, they were also asked to leave. If they speak in tongues or or they shout during the service that with certain ministers they will put them out.

Many have shared that they would rather sleep outside or in jail than stay in the Mission. Personally, it was my referral of last resort. If there was any other place that had a bed, I would send them there first.

There was a preacher at NRM that would bring people to our agency but there was no formal relationship between our agency and NRM.

A person that was in the Barnabas House Program told me that he felt really bad because there was a guy that was a very religious Jehovah’s Witness and they made him throw his Bible away and told him that they would give him another Bible and that he couldn’t use that one. The guy that told me about it and it felt so bad to have witnessed this happen to a fellow Christian.

Former Case Manager 1, Agency 6
Some of my clients wouldn't go to the Rescue Mission because they thought that sleeping out on the streets was better than the crowded conditions at the Mission.

Many clients worried about having belongings stolen during their stay.

The women were often frustrated because their housing was so far away from the male's housing, Campus for Human Development, and access to downtown services. Sometimes it was difficult for them to get to the women's mission.

Many clients thought that the evening time deadline was too strict because it limited their job options. They couldn't take jobs that required them to work passed 5 or 6. If they didn't stay at the Mission, they didn't always have access to showers and had a hard time looking presentable for work.

Former Case Manager 2, Agency 6
I met a woman who had sufficient income to pay for her own subsidized elder housing but who was unfamiliar with the area and who was dropped off to the Women’s NRM. All she needed was a person who knew about services and housing to help her and she could have accessed available housing. Nobody helped her get housing and she stayed at the NRM for 8 months. She ended up finding housing for herself when another agency happened to come to the Mission and drop off a bunch of flyers and she called the agency herself and got in immediately.

My old agency paid for medicine and IDs for people. We were constantly buying new medicine and IDs for men whose personal belongings had been thrown in the Mission’s trash compactor by the staff. I understand the need for order and cleanliness, but they made no attempt to distinguish these important items or to find the owners of life-saving medicines.

Several times men came into our agency with bruised arms from being forcefully yanked into or out of line at the Mission by staff members there. A couple of times people showed up with black eyes they said Mission staff had given them. The level of violence and intimidation at the Mission seems very high to me.

Case Manager, Agency 2
I am a service provider working with the homeless in Nashville, TN. In the course of my interaction with these individuals, I am often told of why it is that the Nashville Rescue Mission is not a viable option for them as they attempt to find shelter for the evening hours. The most prevalent reason is the perception of potential danger and injury to their person. Whether this perception is valid is not a question I can’t answer, since I have no statistics to make comparisons. However, the fact that upwards of 90 percent of the individuals I speak with cite this as a reason to avoid the Mission says volumes about the perception of those on the street concerning their safety while at the Mission.

The second most common issue brought to my attention is the fear of theft of personal belongings and strong-arm robbery. This fear is prevalent in almost 100 percent of the individuals I speak with. A particular rule about having to leave all backpacks outside the Mission overnight is often mentioned when a discussion of theft is had, and while I can understand the Mission’s need for limiting personal belongings, the perception of a lack of effective security to guard these belongings while they sit on the patio instills great consternation and worry among those I speak with concerning the Mission.

Another area of concern, although fewer individuals discuss this than the previous two issues, is the rather callous treatment they feel they receive from some Mission staff personnel. Reports range from indifference to outright derision and contempt by some staff towards patrons of the facility and this causes anxiety and fear strong enough in some individuals to also preclude them from using the Mission as a shelter.

It should be noted that many of us recognize the Mission’s staff must deal with a diverse group of individuals who aren’t always on their best behavior. We know that the Mission also deals with often large numbers of people each evening and not all needs or wants can possibly be met. However, we also recognize that the need for patrons to feel protected and safe is of paramount importance. We hope that the Mission will work to improve these areas of concern and take the appropriate steps necessary to ensure a positive change at the facility.

Current Case Manager 2, Agency 7
I’ve been told that Mary Crutcher made one mother’s 7 year old stand in the corner with chewing gum on his nose because he had peed on himself. It was flu season. She had told several clients that “they are nothing and will never be nothing and that’s why they are in there.”

We have heard that Mary Smith will try to act in compassionate ways but then will beg the transients not to tell her mother (Mary Crutcher)

Current Case Manager 1, Agency 7
A mother called me and told me that Mary Crutcher had put her and her three children out in the cold late one night because one of the kids got caught eating chips upstairs after hours.

I’ve also been told that Chaplain Annette tells some of the clients that they are “going to hell” because of their lifestyle- drugs and prostitution.

I’ve been told that the bugs and spiders are so bad that the ladies put together their own change together to buy bug spray. I have seen the spider bites personally.

If a woman has her menstrual cycle late at night and asks for sanitary napkins she is given some cut up rags and a safety pin.

If the ladies ask to talk with someone about what is on their mind, they are told that if it’s not important just come back another time.

Women have seen food with flies on it and around it and when asking not to eat it, Mary Crutcher told them “you have eaten food in worse shape than that so go ahead and eat it or go to bed hungry for all I care.”

The ladies have also said when it was hot outside and people have donated cases of water, you had to wait until 2pm before they let you have any. And if you come in with a bottle of water that didn’t come from them [NRM] you will have to throw it out. The girls said when you go to the front desk to ask a question, and they are reading a newspaper, you have to wait until they finish reading because they will act like you are not even standing there.

From the Nashville Homeless Power Project
On Tuesday night, September 25th, 2007 the Nashville Rescue Mission told everyone that they had to fill out a survey. This survey had many of the same if not all of the same questions on it as the NHPP survey.

On Wednesday night, September 26th, 2007, one of the “transients” in the Women’s Mission called Ms. Clemmie Greenlee of the Nashville Homeless Power Project and told her that Channel 4 was coming and that they were being served Chicken and the best food they’ve seen in a long time.

At least 15 – 20 women spoke to two leaders of the NHPP on Wednesday, September 26 around 2pm. They told the NHPP Leaders that Mary Crutcher came out and said that her boss made her get out of bed and come out and made them fill in this survey. Several women were brought into a room and questioned because they didn’t want to fill the surveys out and at least one other woman was questioned because what she wrote in the survey that Mary Crutcher was mean and nasty. The staff questioned her according to this woman, Mary Crutcher said… “Why are you calling me this?”

WHY SURVEY CLIENTS OF THE NASHVILLE RESCUE MISSION WHEN THERE ARE MANY AGENCIES THAT SERVE THE HOMELESS?
There are two primary reasons why the NHPP felt compelled to pursue complaints about the NRM. The first reason is the sheer volume and appalling nature of the complaints from clients of the NRM. Though the NHPP has heard occasional negative reports on just about every homeless services agency in Nashville, including itself, the complaints against the NRM have been consistent over several years. Secondly, the Nashville Rescue Mission has become the primary safety net for homeless persons in Nashville, and as such, is a critical lifeline. It is the only large scale emergency shelter in the city; there is no publicly-funded large shelter. For these two reasons, NHPP decided that the broader community/public needed to be educated about the NRM’s maltreatment of its clients. This report hopes to bring the experiences of former and current clients of the NRM to the public’s attention in order to facilitate change at the NRM.

HAS NHPP WORKED WITH THE NASHVILLE RESCUE MISSION?
The Nashville Homeless Power Project has attempted to resolve the question of maltreatement of clients with the Nashville Rescue Mission since the fall of 2006. Complaints against the NRM reached a critical high during the summer and fall of 2006, which spurred us to proactively address the issues in a collaborative manner with the Nashville Rescue Mission.

After hearing countless testimonies we started asking our homeless members to file a complaint or grievance with the Nashville Rescue Mission. We were told by dozens of homeless folks that the Mission doesn’t have a grievance process, and if they did that they would probably get kicked out just for asking to file a complaint. We asked clients to ask some NRM for a complaint form and they returned to us saying they were told there was none.

On Thursday, November 16th, 2006, the Nashville Homeless Power Project facilitated a meeting that was hosted by the Nashville Rescue Mission. Five homeless agencies were invited and 4 attended:

Campus for Human Development, Rachel Hester, Executive Director
Magdalene House, Donna Grayer, Program Director
Matthew 25, Cathie Buckner, Staff Member
Nashville Rescue Mission

                                    Don Worrell, Director of Programs
                                    Frank Kuntz, Director of Operations
                                    Mary Crutcher, Women’s Mission Coordinator

Renewal House, Judy White, Executive Director (could not attend but sent all requested information)

The Nashville Homeless Power Project asked all of the agencies at this meeting to explain their grievance and exit policies. The other 4 participating agencies provided documentation regarding a grievance process and an exit policy but the Nashville Rescue Mission Staff refused to provide this information. During the meeting Don Worrell, Director of Programs of the Nashville Rescue Mission stated, “We will not give you these documents… I have been doing this work for over 20 years and I decide, that is our process.”

The Nashville Homeless Power Project asked Nashville Rescue Mission CEO Rader Walker to help us determine the next steps as we did not feel we could get any further with the Director of Programs Don Worrell.

Mr. Walker responded quickly and on December 8th, 2006 provided the Nashville Homeless Power Project with copies of:

Grievance Form
Grievance and Exit Policy, and
Incident Report

While the Grievance Form indicated a creation date of 2004 and was initialed by Frank Kuntz, there seemed to be no Rescue Mission staff that knew about or utilized the form, according to NRM Client’s reports to the NHPP. The 4th request of the Nashville Rescue Mission was to provide all clients that are barred/exited from the Mission with a reason- in writing- as to why they were being barred, and when they would be able to return.

On January 11th, 2007, Mr. Walker announced that from now on, all Rescue Mission clients would be provided a reason in writing, but only if requested by the client.

According to the “EXIT and GRIEVANCE PROCEDURE” of the Nashville Rescue Mission, “The Mission does not have a permanent bar and most bars can be lifted if the client comes and talks to the Transient Director.”

Starting on January 11th, 2007, the Nashville Homeless Power Project began an education campaign among our members, ensuring that they were aware that they have a right to file complaints/grievances if they feel that they have been treated unjustly. Most of the people we spoke with had issues with the Mission but the majority was afraid that they would be expelled from the Mission if they filed a formal complaint. The week of January 18th, a NRM client who was currently staying at the Mission asked Chaplain Ray for a Grievance Form. The response from Chaplain Ray was, “You want a grievance form?? Here you go!” and proceeded to hand the Mission Client a Prayer Card. Which was immediately brought to the NHPP office

In early February, NHPP Staff and Leaders talked with Rader Walker by phone to share that the Grievance Policy wasn’t working, and that most of the staff didn’t seem to know how the Grievance Process worked. Mr. Walker promised that within the week all staff would know and that he would personally see to it. If there were still problems after the week of staff updates, he would be willing to organize a “sensitivity training” classes for staff. A week later, NHPP Leader, Bryan White and others continued to have difficulties receiving grievance forms and follow up on grievances. NHPP asked Mr. Walker to offer the promised Sensitivity Training, and he stated that he did not believe one was needed.

From spring through summer, NHPP staff and CEO Rader Walker were in regular email communication, and developing a positive working relationship.

As of June 2007, the Grievance Forms were posted in both the Men’s and Women’s Missions -in full view of Mission Staff. The NHPP has requested that the Surveys be placed in a location that may be more anonymous for “residents”/transients. This has not received a response.

On August 13th, 2007, the Nashville Homeless Power Project shared about our difficulties engaging with the NRM with a group of Methodist Women visiting Nashville from all over the country: Methodist Women visit the Women’s Mission.

From August 13th – September 30th, 2007, CEO Rader Walker is non-responsive to email requests from the Nashville Homeless Power Project.

On August 22nd, 2007, the Nashville Homeless Power Project decided to survey as many “transients” of the Nashville Rescue Mission as possible, as well as collect statements from homeless services caseworkers in the city to help NHPP understand the needs and requests of NHPP members and clients of the Nashville Rescue Mission.

According to reports from several NRM clients (men and women) to the NHPP, on the late evening of Tuesday, September 25th, 2007, the Nashville Rescue Mission staff told all transients at both the Men’s Mission and Women’s Mission that they must fill out a survey before going to sleep. Based on reports received from transients to the NHPP, all transients had to write their name on the survey and that the survey was very similar to the survey created by the NHPP. Several women staying at the Women’s Mission shared that they were brought into a separate room and questioned when they either 1) refused to fill out the survey, or 2) wrote negative comments about the survey. Many women reported to the Nashville Homeless Power Project that they were afraid to write anything negative on the survey for fear that they would be thrown out onto the street without a place to go.

NHPP has continued to ask the NRM to meet with NHPP and as of October 22, 2007 has not received a response. NHPP sent Mr. Walker at NRM a list of questions to help NHPP understand NRM Policies (see questions on page 51) and received a public relations packet in the mail 3 weeks later that did not have any relevant information in response to the questions. Not receiving any information regarding a meeting, NHPP emailed a list of Requests to NRM Policies and as of October 25, 2007, still has not received any response to these requests.

Concerned citizen? Or have you ever volunteered for the Nashville Rescue Mission? Given them food? Given them money? Please educate yourself and then let them know if you will continue to offer your gift to their ministry. Educate yourself, talk to homeless people about their experiences at the Rescue Mission.