Read: Office of Homeless Services' Email To Metro Council re: My Data Dump of Their Financials
Read the response OHS Provided to Metro Council to this weeks release of two years of their financials.
Last week I published a website that organized two years of financial data from the Office of Homeless Services (OHS).
I made a point not to draw any conclusions on things I could not document and to acknowledge my non-expertise in all matters finance and operationalizing a response to homelessness.
I gave some headline issues that I thought people would want to look into, and called on the broader homelessness serving community, who does have the relevant expertise, to review this public data which I had to fight very hard to obtain.
The website is designed not as an expose but to set the foundation for what I’d like to call a “Community Audit,” one that can sit alongside any official internal Metro audits that may be coming. In other cities all government financial data is made immediately available for review. In Nashville, you need to submit a Public Records request to get it, but all Tennesseans are entitled to it and it is supposed to be provided promptly. As I’ve written about previously, obtaining this public data from OHS was slightly more complicated.
You can find that website here: ohs.intelechia.com
To make this work as transparent as possible, on Saturday July 12 I submitted the website for preservation on the Internet Archive’s “Way Back Machine”, so you will be able to see if anything changes on the site after that point. You may submit my site, or any website, to have a “snapshot” taken by the Way Back Machine here.
That way if you see me changing how I talk about anything on there, you can call me on it. You can also see all the typos I didn’t originally catch (something I’m consistently docked credibility points for) and modify as I come across them. But accountability has to flow all directions.
OHS sent a response to my release of their transaction data on Friday July 11 to all Metro Council Members. I was not copied on it, but I was forwarded it. As a big proponent of healthy feedback, I think it’s important to provide it to the people who you want to correct (me in this case), rather than just to those who set your budget. But this is a learning process for all of us.
After I was forwarded this email, I wrote a reply to their response and provided this to Metro Council later that day, with response to each of their points.
I included OHS officials on my email in case they had a response to my response to their response.
I’ve published both of our emails to Council here.
On multiple occasions I have offered OHS an opportunity to provide any form of comment on my articles and promised that I would publish and email it out, in full, without commentary. While they have never supplied a substantive response directly to me on any of my articles, I would like to make good on my offer and send out their response unedited and without any commentary.
Below is OHS’ email to Council.
[Please note that you won’t see the Council Members emails listed because it is best practice to BCC them, which allows them to respond directly to emails — they are not allowed to communicate with one another via email as per TN Sunshine Laws.]
From: Calvin, April (Office of Homeless Services) <April.Calvin@nashville.gov>
Sent: Friday, July 11, 2025 12:32 PM
To: Chaney, Demetris L. (OHS) <Demetris.Chaney2@nashville.gov>; Marsh, Joseph K. (OHS) <Joseph.Marsh@nashville.gov>; Whitfield, Antonia (Office of Homeless Services) <Antonia.Whitfield@nashville.gov>
Subject: Office of Homeless Services
Greetings Metro Council Members:
This week, you may have received a message linking to a webpage called "OHS Community Audit" containing misleading information. While we certainly appreciate productive engagement with our community, even when we disagree, it is unfortunate to see public data used in a way that is misleading or misunderstood which can erode trust in our work to serve the most vulnerable.
With that in mind, the Office of Homeless Services (OHS) would like to offer the following clarifications:
Capacity Building and Federal Grant Use
As the Collaborative Applicant, it is incumbent upon us to not only engage in ongoing education for our staff and service providers, but also to proactively disseminate knowledge throughout the community regarding nationally recognized best practices, which necessitates consistent participation in federally endorsed training opportunities. These activities are appropriately supported through dedicated federal grant allocations specifically intended for such capacity-building efforts.
Temporary Staffing and Civil Service Exemptions
Due to the nature of grant-funded roles, which fall outside the traditional Civil Service structure, the use of temporary staffing solutions was both appropriate and necessary. To ensure efficient scaling and rapid onboarding of essential personnel, OHS engaged a Metro-approved vendor, adhering fully to established procurement protocols. This approach enabled timely staffing in alignment with the immediate demands of new programs.
The Office of Human Resources (OHS) reviewed this approach and confirmed it was consistent with Metro’s policies and operational goals. Additionally, staff operating costs were categorized under program operating costs, which allowed for the hiring of additional personnel to meet grant-related deliverables.
Grant-Funded Employee Designation
Grant Funded: "This designation applies to employees working in programs funded by federal, state, or private grants with defined end dates, or in non-locally funded, specialized programs requiring skills not directly transferable to other Metro positions." This classification was reviewed and approved by OHS in accordance with Civil Service guidelines.
Financial and Operational Transition
As a newly created department, OHS inherited object accounts (OAs) that had previously been submitted on our behalf. These were temporary funding mechanisms—not intended as long-term budget allocations. Since that time, leadership along Metro Finance has undertaken a thorough review and reconciliation of all inherited accounts to ensure financial accuracy and accountability.
Procurement and Contracting- Strobel House
The original procurement process began as a Request for Proposals (RFP), which later transitioned into a sole source application managed by MDHA. Operational responsibility subsequently shifted from MDHA to the Office of Homeless Services. OHS established both a formal agreement and a funding resolution to cover the associated costs and is now finalizing a contract for submission to Metro Council.
As OHS is unwavering in our commitment to continuing the drive towards addressing, reducing, and ending homelessness here in Nashville for our unhoused Nashville neighbors, we must address distractions like that blog. Your support is crucial in this mission, and we appreciate your unwavering commitment. We look forward to continuing to end the suffering and trauma imposed on folks when experiencing homelessness.
We are stronger together!
AC
April Calvin, Director
Metro Office of Homeless Services
Office: 615.862.6401
You can read my reply to Council about OHS’ response here.
ML
Michael Lacy, Blogger