To better understand how to connect people experiencing homelessness in Nashville to the housing and services they need, Metro Nashville’s Office of Homeless Services is integrating their data collection system with Nashville’s largest shelter provider, the Nashville Rescue Mission.

Hundreds of men, women and children use the Nashville Rescue Mission each night and better information about the people served at the Mission will allow more targeted, direct outreach to help move them toward housing.

Mayor Freddie O’Connell, a former chair of the HMIS Committee, has prioritized empowering the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) Oversight Committee to ensure that Nashville’s HMIS system is one of the best in the country.

The HMIS should tell us who our homeless neighbors are, where they’re going, what resources they are accessing and what other needs may exist that are not currently being met by supportive services.

“You can’t find solutions to something you can’t actually see, so having this data will give us our clearest understanding ever of people experiencing and at-risk of homelessness in Nashville and that is hugely impactful,” O’Connell says.

Nashville residents can see the data for themselves each month when OHS publishes its monthly public-facing report on the data gathered.

“This is the first time since the inception of the HMIS database in Nashville that we will be able to account for nearly 100% of all individuals using our shelter system,” OHS Director April Calvin says. “This will give us a true baseline of the number of unhoused residents in our city.”

Dolly invests $4.5M in new NPL program

The Nashville Public Library Foundation has announced the most significant gift in its 27-year history – a $4.5 million investment by The Dollywood Foundation, home of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library to kick-start Nashville Public Library (NPL)’s groundbreaking new early literacy program called Begin Bright.

Begin Bright is an initiative aimed at ensuring every Nashville child starts kindergarten reading-ready by combining Dolly Parton’s long-standing commitment to get books in the hands of young children with Nashville Public Library’s innovative and award-winning early literacy programming and technology that will vastly extend the impact of those books – providing training and literacy resources for parents, child care providers and more.

Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library program began in Tennessee and celebrates its 30th anniversary next year. Imagination Library programs exist in all 50 states and five countries around the world, mailing over 3 million books in the hands of children each month.

“I really believe this partnership can make a huge impact on inspiring a love of reading for children and families. And one of the best parts is that Nashville can once again light the way for the nation,” Parton says.

“We are humbled by Ms. Parton’s incredible act of generosity,” says Foundation president Shawn Bakker. “Not only has The Dollywood Foundation given all the books necessary to fulfill a key pillar of the program, but the historic financial contribution will enable the Library to accelerate the launch of this program within the fiscal year.

“Dolly Parton is a transformational figure in worlds of philanthropy and literacy, and we are thrilled to partner with her and excited about the impact this promises to have on our city,” Bakker continues.

The foundation initially aims to raise $20 million for Begin Bright’s implementation and to build an endowment that sustains the program. The library will roll out the program in the spring of 2025.

Survey: TN consumer outlook gloomy

Tennessee consumers aren’t optimistic about their financial situations heading into the holiday season, according to results of the latest statewide Tennessee Consumer Outlook Index survey by Middle Tennessee State University’s Jones College of Business.

“Overall, sentiment remains mostly unchanged from earlier in 2024, as Tennessee consumers appear to be in a wait-and-see pattern due to mixed views on the future of the economy and the (recently held) presidential election,” notes assistant professor of marketing Michael Peasley, director of MTSU’s Office of Consumer Research, which coordinates the survey.

The latest survey index produced a score of -180, down from -162 in the spring. The survey also revealed:

• Only 7.6% of consumers believe now is a good time to buy a house

• Only 9.2% of consumers believe now is a good time to buy a car.

The overall index and its three sub-indices (Current, Future and Purchasing) are based on consumers’ responses to 11 questions measuring their perceptions of the current economy, the future economy, jobs, personal finances, and whether now is a good time to make large purchases.

According to survey results:

• In contrast to business sentiment, which is now at a three-year high of 42%, Tennessee consumers’ positive sentiment is only at 17%. (The business sentiment was recently revealed in results from MTSU’s latest Tennessee Business Barometer survey for fall.)

• Only 14.2% of respondents this quarter say that conditions in the U.S. economy are positive and only 21.4% think that conditions will be better six months from now.

• Only 11% of Tennessee consumers say that their personal financial situation has improved over the last year, while 43% think it’s worse and 45% state it’s the same.

• 57% of Tennessee consumers don’t believe they could survive financially if they lost their job, while only 17% think that they probably could survive loss of employment.

Information: www.mtsu.edu/consumer/tnoutlookreports.php.

VUMC receives $3.3M to combat preterm labor

Vanderbilt University Medical Center is receiving $3.3 million over two years through the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health’s (ARPA-H) Sprint for Women’s Health for its early-stage research efforts to develop medications designed to suppress premature uterine contractions during pregnancy.

ARPA-H’s Sprint for Women’s Health is designed to address critical unmet challenges in women’s health, champion transformative innovations, and tackle health conditions that uniquely or disproportionately affect women.

Jennifer Herington, Ph.D, assistant professor of pediatrics and pharmacology, and Todd Giorgio, Ph.D, professor of biomedical engineering, joined forces four years ago to begin developing innovative uterine-targeted delivery systems for therapeutics known as tocolytics, which are medications designed to suppress premature uterine contractions during pregnancy.

“The heartbreak and costs of preterm birth are enormous,” Herington says. “Preterm birth is the leading cause of neonatal and child deaths under the age of 5, and survivors of preterm birth may face lifelong health challenges.”

Every year, approximately 15 million pregnancies worldwide end prematurely, before 37 weeks of gestation.

The United States has one of the highest rates of preterm births among high-resource countries, with one in every 10 women delivering prematurely. The estimated societal economic loss in the U.S. is approximately $25 billion, which includes medical costs, educational expenses and lost productivity.

AAA: TN gas prices fall 6¢ in time for holiday

Gas prices across the state moved lower last week, falling six cents, on average. The Tennessee Gas Price average is now $2.69 which is 12 cents less expensive than one month ago and 25 cents less than one year ago.

“Gas prices are moving lower across the state, which is great news for those that are planning road trips over the Thanksgiving holiday,” says Megan Cooper, spokeswoman, AAA-The Auto Club Group. “It’s likely Tennesseans will see the cheapest Thanksgiving gas prices since 2020.”

More than 1.9 million Tennesseans are forecast to travel 50 miles or more for the holiday, an all-time high for Thanksgiving and more than 30,000 more travelers than last year.

Gas prices are lower this Thanksgiving season compared to 2023. The national average last Thanksgiving Day was $3.26. The state average was $2.89. Currently, Tennessee drivers are finding an average price of $2.69 as of Monday. The national average for a gallon of gas is now less than a dime away from dipping below $3 for the first time since May 2021. Since last week, the national average dropped a penny to $3.07.

TN unemployment still well below national rate

Tennessee’s unemployment rate remains near its all-time low and well below the U.S. rate, according to the latest data from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development.

The state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 3.3% in October, an increase of 0.1 over the previous month. Despite the uptick, Tennessee’s rate is eight-tenths of a percentage point below the national rate of 4.1%.

Earlier this year, Tennessee recorded a rate of 3% – its lowest ever – three months in a row.

The state’s October rate of 3.3% is 0.2 lower than its rate in October 2023. The U.S. rate of 4.1% held steady from the month before and 0.3 higher than it was in October 2023.

Between September and October, Tennessee employers added 2,600 nonfarm jobs. The largest increase was in the education and health services sector, with government and manufacturing sectors having the next-largest increases.

Over the past year, total nonfarm employment across the state increased by 45,200 jobs. The education and health services sector accounted for the biggest gains, followed by the trade, transportation, and utilities sector and the mining, logging and construction sector.

AnchorWatch named Lloyd’s Coverholder

AnchorWatch, an insurance provider specializing in bitcoin custody, has announced its designation as a Lloyd’s of London Coverholder.

This milestone solidifies AnchorWatch’s position as a leader in the emerging market of insured bitcoin custody solutions. The company will officially open for business in December with binding authority of up to $100M per customer, helping to secure the wealth of American retail and institutional investors.

Lloyd’s of London, renowned for its centuries-long tradition of underwriting complex and innovative risks, operates through a network of Coverholders – trusted partners authorized to underwrite policies on behalf of Lloyd’s syndicates.

This designation signifies AnchorWatch’s adherence to Lloyd’s rigorous standards of compliance, governance and operational excellence, ensuring customers receive world-class insurance solutions backed by the most respected name in the industry.