We're back on inside Tennessee with two
candidates who would like to serve as the
next City Council member in at large CB.
The primary election is in Augu,
but both of these candidates will move
on to the general election in November.
That's just the way the election works.
We ended talking about the homeless issue.
What is your solution, Mr.
Marlowe? And then we'll go to y,
Miss Helsley. Well,
it's a complicated problem that's got
many parts for a solution and one type
of solution that that is practil
that the city could accomplish.
Would be what's hidden within
my zoning amendment.
If we could adopt A cottage courtyard
style development that would alw
tiny home developments on smalls
scattered throughout the city near bus
lines in walkable areas as recommended
by the Missing middle housing program.
That would lower the cost per u,
which would allow us to
create more units quickly.
And house more people.
And this plan or that type of plan has
been successfully used in other cities
around the country with promising results.
Your thoughts, Miss Helsley?
I just homelessness is obviousln
existential crisis everywhere ad
I think it needs to be treated h
a holistic approach which inclus
a lot of stuff housing, housing,
fires to obviously affordable
housing which would fall into te
cottage style part of the missig
metal drug rehabilitation.
Mental health services and more
so I mean I've had I've had famy
members that were unhoused at ts
always from addiction issues evy
single time and I just think we
need to treat treat these people
with we see to support them and.
And don't that shouldn't
be treated with scorn.
Susan,
I want to ask you, Bentley,
you've been in the Mechanicsvile
area for several years, almost .
Yeah, You've been beat up yoursf
like somebody killed your dog.
I mean there it's been a crisis
that you've stayed there and are
trying to do something about it.
I know I was involved
with the Hope 6 project,
originally critical of that,
but tell me what you are doing
in the Mechanicsville area to
to make it a better place.
Well, in addition to rebuilding
many of the older homes and now
building new homes on empty lot,
sometimes those homes come throh
the homemakers program with the city.
I've also started A5O1C3 Private Foundation.
It's a the specialty type of nonprofit
where it's no solicitations, no grants.
It's entirely funded by my own money.
And through that I I hire homels
and formerly homeless individua.
We offer them job training.
Now some of them only want to
mow yards and pick up trash.
Some of them have have gone
on to become framers,
that the success stories
are few and far between.
But when we do have a success s,
it it's something that drives us forward.
There's a lot of false starts,
there's a lot of failures.
And then those that are working for us,
when as available,
we will provide housing as well,
either no cost or incredibly subsidized cost
and you take a salary out of that. I do.
My accountant tells me I've got
to take a minimum wage salary,
so I'm, I don't know,
thirteen $14,000 a year,
basically minimum wage.
I mean it is minimum wage,
it's just however he calculates.
And Debbie, you talked a little bit about
homelessness and and So what you support
homelessness seems to be at one time I
thought it was just combined to Broadway.
You know, it's not, it's moved w
around our entire community and,
how as a Councilwoman, what would you do?
To help solve some of these problems,
Everybody talks about it and you are actually
trying to do something about it, I guess.
But what would you do to implemt
a plan that makes a difference
in our homeless population?
Well, it all takes money, obvio.
So you know, that comes down to budget,
right? You've got 9 council people and
you've got a strong mayoral government,
So, you know, and who sets the budget?
Prominent supportive housing is
obviously the best solution around for
people who actually have mental issues,
but it's expensive. You know,
we've got Flanagan's Landing, Mcminnville,
did they just open Caswell Mano,
I think, but they're expensive and people,
I don't know if it's a budget i.
So we need some more of that.
And you know, Flanagan Landing,
when they started that and I could line
you people up here who thought it was a,
I'm from South Knoxville,
the most terrible idea ever.
I remember everybody was.
And now I have some that would
stand right here and tell you it
absolutely is a wonderful thing.
How do we have enough money
to build a baseball stadium,
but we don't have enough money to take
care of people that are mentally ill?
Well, I. You're asking the wrong person,
that question. You have no job.
I'm asking why, Why I want the .
But the stadium's common. I didt
have anything to do with the stadium.
What are you going to do?
You go sit there and let them run over you?
No, Sir, I'm not.
What are you going to do? Not.
Well, I can't take the stadium .
Is that your question?
I mean, think we have to
the sit the great state of Tennessee.
Closed the biggest mental
health facility in the state,
which was Eastern state psychiatric concept,
and put everybody on the streetd
they're all underneath the bridge now.
And we spend no money on mental health
except we all run our mouth about how
mental health needs to come for.
Well, tell me how you're going to pay for it.
All we can do is lobby the mayor to do it
because council does not control
the budget. Why do we need
a council if all if the mayor ms
all the decisions? What are you?
Well, I mean, I mean,
the mayor provides a budget.
You can't. You can't line out of
me to veto a budget. You can't.
You you have to you either.
It's all or nothing,
and that's in the charter.
I mean, I can't change that,
but what are you going to do about it?
I'm going to try to get them to
supply money for those needs.
And would you take money away
from something else in the budg?
44% of the budget goes to public safety.
There's talk on council
right now and debate about.
Changing emergency response in 911 calls.
So let's get both of you on the
record about whether you think that's
a good idea to send not an offi,
but a mental health specialist s
one person and trauma expert as well,
instead of sending police offic.
Is that a good idea, Miss Helsl?
With proper training? Yes.
But I think that's something tht
really has to be worked on you.
I I put in the the phone system years ago,
the call processors that answer 911 calls,
they would have to have more training to
decide whether you're going to go on a
domestic call without an officer, right.
You don't want to send a social
worker out to people are real,
you know everybody has guns now.
You'd have to be really careful.
So with training, yes.
Okay, Mr. Marlowe, what do
you think of that idea?
I'm more comfortable with the Co
responder format which has an
officer with the social worker.
I think that is the appropriate
way that you've got.
You're balancing both sides.
You have the officer there
that that has the training to
restrain individuals to to hand.
Heated environments And then if that's
not needed and that officer ands
expertise can make that decisio,
then the social worker has the
safety and comfort of having the
backup of the officer if needed
to come in and exercise their
expertise to defuse the situatin
through alternative methods.
All right. We're going to take another
break on inside Tennessee back with more.
John N will lead us off in our
next block with two candidates r
at large council seat be up nex.