Press Release-Sept. 13, 2010 PDF Print E-mail

Nashville launches Adopt A Meter Campaign benefiting Homeless Outreach

First donation meters are being placed in Downtown Nashville

 

Nashville, Tenn. (Sept. 13, 2010) – Mayor Karl Dean today unveiled the first meter of the Adopt A Meter program, an awareness campaign that places specially marked donation meters throughout the city where people can deposit change that will benefit Nashville’s homeless outreach efforts.

Adopt_A_Meter_3_1“Homelessness is not a government issue. It’s not a nonprofit issue. Homelessness is a community issue. And when we all work together, we can reduce homelessness in our city,” Dean said. “Outreach workers are an important part of that equation. They build relationships with individuals and connect them to not only housing, but the services they need to permanently transition out of homelessness.”

Clifton Harris, executive director of The Key Alliance, said Nashville is joining cities such as Denver and San Francisco that have similar programs.

“Denver implemented its Adopt A Meter program in 2007 and generates more than $100,000 annually,” Harris said. “Nashville will start with 30 meters. Each meter is sponsored by a company or organization for $1,000 for one year.”

Southwest Airlines was the first sponsor of the Adopt A Meter program and offered to include an art piece created by their employee, artist Ken Smith, that will be attached to their meter.

"Southwest Airlines is a Company of people dedicated to doing the right thing,” Ana Schwager, Southwest’s community affairs and grassroots manager, said. “Investing in the Adopt A Meter program is one of our most meaningful community initiatives. We are thrilled to have Southwest Airlines' Nashville employee, Ken Smith, create this beautiful design as a tribute to Music City."

Public Works donated the first 30 meters and is helping to place them in the ground in locations with high foot traffic.

The Adopt A Meter program is an awareness campaign and fundraising strategy coordinated by the Key Alliance, an initiative of the Metropolitan Homelessness Commission that brings together nonprofit, faith-based, government, and for-profit organizations to create more low-income housing opportunities for the homeless.

“Nashville currently has 12 fulltime outreach workers to reach an estimated 4,000 individuals who are homeless on any given night,” Harris said. “Based on our last point-in-time count from last winter, we estimate that about 1,250 are chronically homeless.”

Proceeds from the Adopt A Meter program will help reach out to some of the most vulnerable chronically homeless individuals in Nashville and connect them with housing and needed services.

Donation meters in Nashville will be placed in prominent city locations.

The first Adopt A Meters will be located at:

-          Bridgestone Arena;

-          Hard Rock Café;

-          Nashville Convention Center;

-          Nashville Convention and Visitor’s Bureau;

-          Nashville Public Square; and

-          Metro Courthouse and City Hall at James Robertson Blvd.

Sponsors for these locations are John E. Mayfield Charitable Foundation; Kraft CPA's; First Bank Online; Bone McAllester Norton; and Sherwin Williams.

 

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  • onlinedonations
To donate online, click on the "Join The Key Alliance" button.
The Key Alliance is a
501(c)3 nonprofit organization that partners with the Metropolitan Homelessness Commission to bring together the community to collaborate around permanent solutions to homelessness in Nashville.

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Upcoming Events:

End Homelessness Eraselets
The Key Alliance together with the Metropolitan Homelessness Commission is utilizing a new marketing tool called Eraselets, which are wristbands that also serve as erasers. The message on the Eraselets is End Homelessness. Eraselet inventor Bryan Ricci became homeless at the age of 15. Currently he is trying to get his product into Wal-Mart.

Operation Stand Down
The 20th Annual Operation Stand Down Event has been scheduled for Friday, Saturday and Sunday, October 12, 13 and 14, 2012 at the old TN Preparatory School (TPS) Gymnasium Please note this is a return to our regular weekend format! The address is 1164 Foster Avenue, Nashville, TN 37210.

Community Calendar
The Key Alliance hosts a new feature on its Website: A Community Calendar (view tab on the left). Service providers are invited to email details of their events and happenings they would like to be listed on our Community Calendar to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

The Contributor goes to twice monthly
On Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2012, The Contributor, Nashville's successful street newspaper, will publish two issues per month. "In a time when print media is on the decline, street newspapers all around the world have seen major increases in distribution. The Contributor, now the highest-distributing street newspaper in North America, is a leader in the global street newspaper movement’s success. Thanks to the hard work and determination of its vendors and staff, as well as the generosity of its donors, The Contributor has grown exponentially over the last two years, enabling approximately one-third of the paper’s vendors to earn enough money to obtain housing." - Andrew Krinks, The Contributor's editor, in a recent press release.

Volunteer Award
The Key Alliance is proud to announce that our volunteer, Ben Morton, was honored with the Phyllis M. Frank Volunteer Award by the Nashville Coaltion for the Homeless for his outstanding efforts to help the local homeless community. Read the press release here.

Adopt A Unit
The Key Alliance, in partnership with the Metropolitan Homelessness Commission, has launched a new program called Adopt A Unit that invites congregations to help formerly homeless individuals establish a household.
For more information, click here.

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The next MHC meeting is scheduled for Friday, March 2, 2012, at 9:30 a.m. in the Sonny West Conference Room of the Howard Office Building (Fulton Complex), 700 Second Ave. South.
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A Summary Report of the Committee on Police/Homeless Issues of the MHC is posted here.
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Adopt A Meter Program
The Key Alliance has partnered with NashVitality to promote its Adopt A Meter program.
The program places refurbished "parking" meters in high foot traffic areas Downtown. All change collected will benefit homeless outreach with the goal to place people into Housing First. For a $1,000 sponsorship, contact Clifton Harris at 862-6401 or email him at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
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The Key Alliance launched a Speaker's Bureau program. We are available to speak to groups larger than 10 members including businesses, neighborhood associations, civic groups and congregations.
Contact Judy Tackett at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it to set up YOUR meeting.
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To date the Metropolitan Homelessness Commission and MDHA have been able to connect 37 homeless individuals who lost everything in the May floods with Section 8 Housing vouchers. The Homelessness Commission has closed the program. All Section 8 Voucher applicants have to go through MDHA's Secion 8 Office at 620 Dew Street.
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If you would like to be included on our volunteer e-mail list for special events and other opportunities, or sign up for our newsletter, please contact Judy Tackett at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
For media inquiries
call Judy Tackett at 517-7000.