Project Arts Connect is an exhibition of artwork by Nashville artists who have been affected by homelessness.

Metro Arts & The Key Alliance collaborated with The Contributor, Nashville’s street paper, and Room In The Inn, one of the largest homeless service providers in town, to present a body of artwork that includes photography, ceramics, paintings, collage and mixed media.

The exhibit includes selected works from The Disposables, a collection of photographs taken by homeless and formerly homeless newspaper vendors, pieces from the permanent collection from Room In The Inn, and art from the private collections of Criminal Court Clerk Howard Gentry and local artist Kevin Barbieux. Some works will be for sale and 100% of the proceeds will benefit the artists.

The exhibition is free to the public and open during business hours through March 2, 2012.

Project Arts Connect captures the essence of who people are, what they think, and what they feel regardless of their housing status.

The gallery will also serve as a collection point for art supplies, hand warmers, gloves, and other items to assist the artist and programs offered by the participating organizations.

Thank you, Rebecca Berrios and Jennifer Cole for a great Opening Reception on Jan. 20.

If you have not had a chance to attend the Opening Reception, please visit the Metro Arts Gallery (4th floor of the Metro Office Building, 800 Second Avenue South - same building as the Election Commission) during Metro office hours.

Help us spread the word through Facebook and feel free to print out our flyer and post it at your place of work, congregation, favority coffee house, etc.

Anita Smith is the artist who created Where It All Started, the first picture on  top of this front page.

Go Teach Mentoring Program

Helping the most vulnerable chronically homeless individuals move into and maintain housing is not easy. We have found over the past four years that the key to success is Housing First, which is permanent housing coupled with intensive wrap-around case management. Case management is provided by a master’s level social worker with a case ratio of about 10 clients per social worker.

The Key Alliance has created a mentoring program called Go Teach and targets congregations to come together and form a mentoring team.

We believe that additional mentoring will create a social network that supports case managers and Housing First participants. The goal is to help participants maintain their housing and move towards self-sufficiency.

Here is what we ask congregations to bring to the table:

1. The first key to the Go Teach campaign is a MENTORING PROGRAM set up by participating congregations. We suggest that five congregation members commit to be a part of a mentoring team for one year. The Mentoring Program involves an in-depth training with our housing coordinator to educate team members on how to reach out and maintain nurturing relationships with our Housing First participants.

2. The second key is an ADOPT A UNIT initiative. Under this component of the Go Teach program, congregations help us set up the household for a Housing First participant. It may be achieved through a household item and furnishing drive that includes your entire congregation. A handful of members in your congregation may provide furnishings and other household items. It is up to you to choose the best approach for your congregation. Once the household goods are delivered, the commitment of the congregation is fulfilled. You can choose to participate with another housing unit or revisit the Adopt a Unit initiative at another time.

3. And the final, third key is the FUNDING of the program. Housing First costs $17,000 per person per year; this breaks down to $6,000 for housing and $9,000-$11,000 for intensive case management. We ask congregations to help us identify creative ways that will make this program possible. Maybe you have a member in your congregation who is willing to donate an apartment for one year? Or you may want to partner with another congregation to participate financially in the program. We will work with you to find creative solutions because we want you to be a part of the Go Teach program.

Congregations can do one, two or all of the three components. They can pick and choose what they are comfortable with.

The Go Teach program is offered to congregations because we believe that congregations have the structure and support within their organization to fulfill their commitments to Go Teach.

The Key Alliance, in partnership with the Metropolitan Homelessness Commission, is focused on solutions to homelessness. Go Teach is a program that lends support to solutions to homelessness such as Housing First.

A congregation interested in adopting a unit or participating in our mentoring program should:

1. Contact our Housing Coordinator, Carolyn Grossley at The Key Alliance, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or 615-880-2293 for information.

2. Form a dedicated committee.

3. Set up a meeting with Carolyn, so your group can ask questions, talk about Housing First, the Go Teach mentoring program and what the Adopt A Unit initiative entails.

We, at The Key Alliance, believe that when Nashville comes together as a community, we can end chronic homelessness and reduce overall homelessness in our city. How is it done? Simply by housing one person at a time.

 


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Join The Key Alliance

Mayor Karl Dean and record-setting, all pro running back Chris Johnson of the Tennessee Titans have partnered with The Key Alliance in a Public Service Announcement asking Nashville to join The Key Alliance. In the PSA, Mayor Dean says, "Everyone wants to do something to help, but no one can do it alone."Chris Johnson adds, "Just like in football, it takes a great team effort to win."Then Mayor Dean says, "That’s why people like Chris and I join The Key Alliance to support permanent solutions to homelessness.” The Key Alliance thanks Chris Johnson and Mayor Dean for their support. We also thank Chris Johnson for his support of Project Homeless Connect on Dec. 9, 2010, when 1,500 individuals including children who were homeless or on the brink of homelessness received more than 10,000 services from 75 service providers.

Mayor Dean is a long-time supporter of ours and has asked us to implement the Adopt A Meter program here in Nashville. Any one can join The Key Alliance simply by clicking on the blue "Join The Key Alliance" button in the upper right-hand corner on this Website. For a minimum, tax-deductible donation of $25 per year, you will become a Key Supporter. We will include you in our mailing lists, keep you informed about our programs, update you on our events including volunteer and sponsorship opportunities, and send you issue briefs on the state of homelessness in Nashville. We believe that together as a community, we can find and implement permanent solutions to end chronic homelessness and reduce overall homelessness in Nashville. Thank you for your support. 

Housing First is The Key

Housing First is a cost-effective and proven solution to chronic homelessness that is being implemented across the United States. Housing First can be accomplished without building new housing stock. Nashville has enough existing housing inventory which allows us to partner with property managers, developers and landlords to lease low-income rental units.

The Housing First model has three significant components:

1. Access to permanent housing;
2. Intensive and comprehensive case management by a team of master’s level social workers who are available to the client 24/7; and
3. Acceptance of homeless clients who have been rejected by other programs. 

To watch a video explaining Housing First, click here. (there is one commercial prior to the actual report on Housing First)

Talk & Talk Back: The Key Alliance Blog

Project Coat Connect receives great community support from Grammy Award Winner LeAnn Rimes, Author Diana Joy of the Unseen Child Foundation and Allison Steel of the band 2Steel Girls. Click here to read our blog.

The Key Alliance is supporting The Cookery, a nonprofit program by LambsCroft that will provide job training and employment opportunities for homeless individuals. The goal is to launch a Catering Service that will teach homeless men in the culinary arts. The ultimate goal is to open a restaurant where Nashvillians can enjoy a great meal while supportin The Cookery's mission.  To learn more, click here.

The Housing First model is a proven solution to chronic homelessness. As with other things concerning homelessness, placing people into housing alone does not solve the underlying issues that cause homelessness. It is important that as homeless individuals move into permanent housing units, they have access to and receive the necessary support services. That’s why The Key Alliance, the nonprofit partner of the Metropolitan Homelessness Commission, is promoting Housing First, an approach that offers permanent supportive housing coupled with intensive case management. To read our recent blog on Housing First, click here.

On any given night, about 107,000 former service men and women were homeless in 2009 in the United States, according to an estimate by the Veterans Administration.

If – as we assume to be the case – 20-25 percent of all homeless individuals in Nashville are veterans, then we can deduct that about 800-1,000 of these veterans are living right here in our community. This number is based on our estimate that on any given night 4,000 individuals are homeless in Nashville. The face of homelessness is diverse and includes  families with children, youth, runaways, domestic violence victims, veterans, chronically homeless individuals, kids aging out of foster care, and people re-entering communities from the penal system.

For the full story, click here.