Ronnie, a middle-aged black man who is living unhoused, stands by a faux Christmas Tree made of Lights hung on wires, against the backdrop of downtown Nashville’s skyline. Ronnie holds his handmade cardboard sigh wishing passersby a Merry Christmas.

December 16, 2023

Early in the morning people gathered in a small park by the river, in Nashville, Tennessee for a memorial service to honor the homeless who have died in 2023. The number was 181

At the end of the service those in attendance were offered flowers to be cast into the cold water of the Tennessee River in remembrance.

I walked the streets of Nashville early on Christmas morning to document the conditions of those living on the streets. It was cold, and the rain was a constant downpour for hours.
Here there are two people laying directly on the concrete as the water encroaches.

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As I moved closer I realized that the person on the left, near the wheelchair, was covered only by a thin polyester blanket that was barely large enough to cover their upper torso.

Nashville, like many cities, have what have been termed “tent cities” - places where the displaced erect tents to create a community unto themselves.
There are also single dwellings, especially along the Cumberland River that flows through downtown Nashville.

Single dwellings encampments, especially along the Cumberland River that flows through downtown Nashville, are common - yet remain somewhat isolated.

Many of the unhoused pull a suitcase with them everywhere they go. It is the entirety of their possessions. One day, as Mark was walking by, - literally dragging his suitcase, he paused to talk with me. He said that the plastic wheels had ground down to nothing by the constant rolling over the pavement.

I met Rebel within the first few moments of arriving at Old Tent City for the first time. He was working on his Harley Davidson, preparing it for a road trip “out west” in a few days.

I met Red (seated on the motorcycle) and Peckerwood (holding the flag) at the same time I met Rebel. Their encampment is a stone’s throw from the Tennessee River.

I spoke at some length with Peckerwood, who was adamant about having the story of mental illness told. 

It is at this table that Ed begins each day, making coffee in an old frying pan over an open fire.

I met Ed while visiting Old Tent City, in Nashville, Tennessee. He came to Nashville several months ago to help his brother who was living on the streets. Eventually Ed went through the entirety of his savings, ending up on the streets himself.

The day before I met him he had received word that he had been approved for an apartment. As he attempted to leave the camp he realized that two of the tires on his old Honda were flat. A man from one of the churches got word of this and took them off to be replaced.

The following day, attempting to leave again, he found that the transmission was stuck in Park - which took a few days to get fixed. During that time Ed was attacked with a metal pipe - a common occurrence among those living on the streets.

This is Michael, who was one of two people to build solid structures in Nashville’s Old Tent City, which was torn down by the State in 2024.

One of the ironies is that a few months before the State, and the City decided to demolish Michael’s house, in Old Tent City, he received an address from the City of Nashville.

Under this overpass is a section of Old Tent City, in Nashville, Tennessee.

Old Tent City — the long-standing homeless encampment in Nashville, Tennessee — was established in the early 1980s. It emerged as an informal community of unhoused residents under and near the Silliman Evans Bridge along the Cumberland River and persisted for over 40 years until it was closed by city authorities in mid-2025.

Within Old Tent City, in Nashville, Tennessee, there are two permanent structures that have been built; one by Dallas (pictured here), and the other by Michael. Both are currently awaiting demolition by the State.

Both of these men scavenged discarded wood—some from a great distance, and dragged it to the encampment.

During the coldest days, of the previous winter, both allowed other residents of teh camp to say in their houses.

One unhoused man is walking across the street, while another—in a wheelchair crosses behind, on the streets of Nashville, Tennessee, on Christmas Eve.

The Greyhound Bus Station on Lafayette Street in Nashville, Tennessee is a popular gathering place for those living on the streets, especially during the winter months.

But this night, Christmas Eve, the bus station was busy with travelers so those living on the streets needed to find another place.

This young homeless man sits along the sidewalk of Eighth Avenue that parallels the Music City Convention Center .in Nashville, Tennessee, on Christmas Eve.

Christ’s Church Cathedral along upper Broadway in Nashville, Tennessee offers the sanctuary of its concrete steps for those needing a place to sleep, in each of the entrances to the church.

A homeless man takes refuge on the concrete steps of one of the entrances to Christ’s Church Cathedral on upper Broadway in Nashville, Tennessee, on Christmas Eve. Each night the church leaves blankets—neatly folded, on each of the steps.

Kevin, and his dog, Salem sit Oon the front lawn of Hume-Fogg High School, along upper Broadway in Nashville, Tennessee, Salem came into Kevin’s life under a tiwist of events that make’s one believe in desitiny.