NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Affordable housing is hard to find In Nashville, and last month's record temperatures made it even harder for one Middle Tennessee woman who’s fallen on hard times.
Edna Silva said, "And then I lost my mom last year, so everything is like really stressed, but I tried to not let the boys see that."
She has custody of her two nephews. "When I had COVID in 2019, I was in the ICU for a whole month, my anxiety," Silva said, "Now it’s really bad,"
After that, she was unable to afford more than $2,000 a month in rent she was paying with her daughter, so their family moved. "It’s so sad because my kids were in the motel, we can’t do anything but just sit there and watch TV," Silva said.
She got a section 8 voucher, but has spent most of her extra cash on motels. She has called dozens of places to see if they have openings.
After two months she found a place, but it fell through. They told her that pipes had burst at the complex so she would need to apply to another spot.
"Very emotional and stressed out, but I’m trying,” Silva said, “Try my best to do everything for my boys, but I’ll be okay.”
Edna said she's back at square one. "Very emotional, and I can’t believe how hard it is to find a place and be denied, and have to cry every time," Silva said, "My boys are sleeping on the floor... it’s very hard."
She’s temporarily living with her daughter, but she can’t stay long due to the lease agreement at the apartment complex.
Edna said she never imagined she'd be on the verge of homelessness.
It makes her wonder if more can be done to help Nashvillians in the same boat. "I think somebody should put their foot down to help us," Silva said.
Edna said another obstacle is paying application fees, and her storage unit bills. She mentioned she's applied for disability but hasn't been approved yet.
