NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — The purchase of a new home is meant to make a major change for some middle Tennessee veterans. It's part of a growing effort.
A house in the Whites Creek neighborhood has just been closed on.
"We're going to be converting this area into a very large pantry," Jeff Upton said, touring the inside.
Jeff isn't moving in himself, but he's part of a big plan for all this space.
"We have another laundry area, another bathroom," he said, showcasing a hallway. "We're blessed to have three good sized bedrooms."
"The numbers are pretty astounding," Jeff continued. "They say there are about 2,000 homeless veterans in middle Tennessee each night. Those numbers are from before the boom we've had the last four or five years, so I would assume those numbers are much higher now."
Jeff is with the We Are Building Lives Foundation non-profit. They work with veterans who are either unhoused or are facing a housing crisis. This is the second house the non-profit's closed on.
"We'll probably put a couple veterans in this room," Jeff said, continuing his tour.
Jeff said at least ten veterans can stay here at the house, perhaps more depending on upcoming renovations.
"This property is going to be a transitional place," he explained. "It's veterans who have no other place to go, they have no family, they don't have the financial means. Maybe they have some kind of PTSD, maybe they have some type of addiction they're struggling with. This will be a place for health, hope, and healing. It'll be a place for drug and alcohol counseling. We provide jobs. We provide job training. We have a success rate of getting you from homelessness to fully housed, a 88% rate of success."
By its very purpose, the house isn't a permanent space for the veterans, but as somewhere to spend that transitional period, Jeff wanted a place that would feel like a home.
"We provide a place they can literally build back their life," he said.
With new technology comes new ways to help people. This story shows a great use of AI that is starting to be rolled out in Tennessee. This one can help those who may be blind, deaf or neurodiverse navigate the Tennessee State Library and Archives from an app on their smart phone.
-Lelan Statom
