Open Table Nashville is Nominated for a NLIHC Organizing Award

Every year, National Low Income Housing Coalition’s (NLIHC) Organizing Awards recognize outstanding achievements in statewide, regional, citywide, neighborhood, or resident organizing that further NLIHC’s mission of ensuring that people with the lowest incomes have quality homes that are accessible and affordable. This year, Open Table Nashville is nominated for our organizing efforts that delayed the destruction of several homes at Old Tent City, Nashville’s largest homeless encampment, in October 2024.

In September 2024 signs were posted around an encampment around the I-24 overpass nicknamed Old Tent City informing residents that structures in the area would be demolished a week later giving residents days to move their belongings and find alternative places to stay.

Our advocacy team immediately began working with Old Tent City residents to advocate for a delay in the demolition. We supported the residents as they drafted a petition to the mayor. The petition can be found here.

These organizing efforts resulted in a 30 day delay in demolition of the camp from the mayor’s office and the placement of dumpsters at the encampment. We've continued to work with the residents of Old Tent City to provide supplies and work on long term housing solutions.

We are honored to be a nominee for the Organizing Awards alongside other organizations doing incredible work, including Greater New Orleans Housing Alliance, the Housing Network of Rhode Island, Hoboken Fair Housing Association, and more. You can read NLIHC's blog post about OTN here.