Housing & Homeless Services

In the TDMHSAS Office of Housing and Homeless Services, we aim to support the housing needs of people living with mental illness as they find a new life in recovery.  Through partnerships with local service providers, supportive communities, and tireless advocates, we're able to help people find stable living situations to support their recovery.  The reason why we do what we do is best summed up by a recent news story that you can watch below.  You can also scroll farther to learn more about individual programs.

The Creating Homes Initiative (CHI)  seeks to assertively and strategically partner with local communities to educate, inform, and expand quality, safe, affordable and permanent housing options for people with mental illness and co-occurring disorders.

Projects for Assistance in Transition from Homelessness (PATH), serves people with serious mental illness who are experiencing homelessness or are at imminent risk of becoming homeless.

ILS provides intensive long-term, wrap-around support services to allow people to be discharged from the state’s Regional Mental Health Institutes into supportive living facilities in the community.

 TDMHSAS operates a pair of targeted transitional support programs to cover short-term needs and help people get on their feet in new housing situations. Click to learn more.

Safe, stable, quality, affordable housing is an essential component of recovery from substance use disorder.  The department is proud to share the following resources for recovery housing, many of which we support in various forms.

The SSI/SSDI Outreach, Access, and Recovery (SOAR) effort in Tennessee is an initiative designed to increase access to SSI/SSDI for eligible adults who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness and have a mental illness, medical impairment, and/or a co-occurring substance use disorder.

Find web resources related to housing and homelessness, along with available statewide programs and where to obtain assistance. Please check back frequently for additional resources and new programs that may become available in your area.

Children and youth with Severe Emotional Disturbance (SED) who experience homelessness can receive help to secure housing and keep the family intact.

Young adults with mental illness or serious emotional disturbance leaving foster care or mental health residential treatment can receive life skills classes and partially-supervised housing through Park Center’s Emerging Adult program in Nashville.

A Continuum of Care (CoC) is a regional or local planning body that coordinates housing and services funding for homeless families and individuals, primarily using funding received through U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

For More Information

If you feel at any time that you are experiencing a mental health or substance use crisis, please call or text 988 and press 0 to speak to a counselor.

If you have concerns or need services for yourself, a child, or family member, contact our Helpline:
Phone: 800-560-5767
Email: OCA.TDMHSAS@tn.gov
Hours: Monday – Friday: 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (except for state holidays)

Office of Housing and Homeless Services Contacts

Neru Gobin, Director
Office of Housing and Homeless Services
Neru.Gobin@tn.gov | 615-305-7661

For help with SOAR or the Intensive Long-Term
Support program:

Christy Spangler, Assistant Director
Christy.Spangler@tn.gov  |  615-499-3973

For help with the Creating Homes Initiative
grants including Creating Affordable Housing,
CHI 2.0, and CHI 3.0:

Shay Grier, Assistant Director
Shanaya.Maclin@tn.gov  |  615-651-0434

For help with the PATH, CYHOP, Community
Supportive Housing, or Emerging Adult
Services programs:

Ashley Siebert, Program Manager
Ashley.N.Siebert@tn.gov | 615-636-3268

For help with the Supportive Recovery Housing,
Supportive Reentry Housing, or Residential
Reentry Housing Programs:

Christine LaPlante, Program Manager
Christine.LaPlante@tn.gov | 615-487-2245

For help with the Consumer Housing Specialist, Community Targeted Transitional Support, and Inpatient Targeted Transitional Support programs: 

Gina Turley, Program Manager
Gina.Turley@tn.gov | 615-961-5123