As new Executive Director Will Connelly enters his second month at The Contributor, we sat down and asked him a few of his priorities as he begins in his new role.
Connelly, a co-founder of The Contributor and a prominent local and national figure in homelessness advocacy, has spent his career working toward ending homelessness.
You were here when The Contributor started. What about the environment in Nashville has changed and what has stayed the same?
Housing costs have changed. In 2007, median rent in Nashville hovered around $700 per month, and the occupancy rate was around 10%. Currently, median rent in Nashville is around $1,700 per month. The occupancy rate hasn’t changed much because of an “apartment boom” in Nashville which is favorable for renters in general, but not great for renters who have a fixed income, no income, and other barriers to renting like poor credit or no credit and checkered rental histories.
A 2020 study from the US Government Accountability Office estimated “a $100 increase in median rent was associated with a 9% increase in the estimated homelessness rate.” While the precise negative impact of rising housing costs is up for debate, the current rental environment obviously puts more individuals and families at risk of homelessness.
What matters most to you for the paper’s vendors in 2024?
The Contributor is an easy, low-barrier way to earn an income. The newspaper also creates community and connection between vendors and their customers, between the vendors themselves, and the vendors and their support networks. What matters most to me is that The Contributor continues to be a reliable product to sell, and that our 150 vendors continue to experience a loving community in a world that can often feel lonely and disconnected.
What are your favorite things about Nashville? What would you change?
I like the experience of the seasons here even though they can be lethal for unhoused Nashvillians. I would improve the infrastructure for pedestrians, cyclists and skaters so that Nashville would be less dangerous and more hospitable to more sustainable modes of transportation. I would change our definition of pedestrian and bicycle “infrastructure” to include more than just painted lines on the street. The new improvements to 12th Avenue South that include medians and other barriers are great examples of legit infrastructure that will help improve safety and health.
I think one benefit to your leadership is you have such varied experience in the homelessness and service sectors. Can you talk about how you hope to utilize your previous experiences in your work here?
I have tried to solve homelessness in different cities from various angles, roles and approaches. It has been extremely humbling all around. There are big wins and huge losses, and, as a system leader, it often feels like you are treading water or walking up a very steep hill because of macro factors like the cost of housing, continued discrimination against people of color and people who receive government assistance like housing vouchers, and policies that make it more difficult to build affordable housing for Nashvillians who have the lowest incomes.
Do you believe in New Year’s resolutions and do you have any?
There’s nothing like starting the new year by not following through on commitments to yourself! Haha. I don’t make a big deal out of them. I want to commute on my bike or on the WeGo bus system at least two days per week. I want to become way more comfortable with navigating conflict. I also want to become a better listener. It is so easy to tune out or think about how you are going to respond instead of really focusing on and trying to understand what the person in front of you is saying. I think it will help me be a better father, partner, friend and colleague.