Rumors Of Counties Bringing Homeless People To Putnam

Local official concerned about rumors of other Middle Tennessee municipalities bringing homeless residents to Putnam County.

Representative Ryan Williams said he spent part of Wednesday tracking the rumors.

“Some of the reports that I am behind the scenes getting is that we are having instances where maybe surrounding counties or municipalities are finding creative ways of eliminating the problem in their community by driving across county lines to other communities.”

Williams said he supports Cookeville’s efforts to solve the increased homeless population. Williams said the city and state are collaborating to find ways to redirect people to organizations offering help.

“What we found is there is a plethora of different ways where we can maybe tweak the state statute, or as the city has said, tweak a local ordinance in order to both help these folks find resources,” Williams said. “Sometimes, until we have a reason to encourage them into a resource, it is difficult to get some folks to go. Whether it is mental health assistance or assistance from a local rescue mission.”

Williams said the possibility of communities along I-40 bringing homeless people to Putnam County could explain the now prominent panhandling issue.

“Of course, very difficult to know if that is the case,” Williams said. “I think that is part of the reason why you have seen such an influx of people. Of course, unfortunately during COVID, people are losing their jobs. It is a very difficult time financially for a lot of families, but the large number of additional folks in our community lent us to believe maybe there is something different going on.”

Williams said part of the reason why Putnam attracts so many people is due to the inclusive community.