News & Photos
Five ‘Restore The Dream’ Centers Open To Meet Long Term Needs of Flood Victims
July 08, 2010
FIVE ‘RESTORE THE DREAM’ CENTERS OPEN TODAY TO MEET LONG TERM NEEDS OF FLOOD VICTIMS IN HARDEST HIT NEIGHBORHOODS
United Way Invests $500,000 To Expand Family Resource Centers “Platform.”
NASHVILLE, TN, July 8, 2010—Many victims of Nashville’s May 1-2 flood are still struggling to meet a myriad of needs, and United Way has organized community resources and will push them out to the areas that have been hardest hit, utilizing a “platform” it developed over the past decade to serve some of Nashville’s neediest neighborhoods.
United Way of Metropolitan Nashville and six of its partner agencies opened five Restore the Dream Centers today to work one-on-one with individuals and families who are struggling to put their lives and their homes back together in the wake of the May Flood. The Restore The Dream Centers utilize the same model used in United Way’s Family Resource Centers to enhance pre-kindergarten learning, provide financial counseling, and provide hot meals to the elderly.
United Way has already committed a half million dollars to get the Restore The Dream Centers open and to operate them through the balance of 2010. The organization has set out to raise as much as $2 million more through its Restore the Dream Fund to support operation of the Centers until 2012.
In making the announcement at the Bellevue Restore The Dream Center, Gregg Morton, United Way’s 2010 Campaign Chair and CEO of AT&T Tennessee (pictured above), described the program as “the community’s organized long term broad solution to the human scars left by this disaster.” Restore the Dream Centers opened today in Madison, Northwest Nashville, Bordeaux, Bellevue, and Antioch.
United Way and the partnering agencies analyzed data generated by more than 35,000 calls to United Way’s 2-1-1 Hotline since May 1 and identified sites that are proximate to the areas where the largest number of needs were identified and still remain. The network of non-profit agencies has marshaled space in those areas and Centers have already begun serving clients.
The Salvation Army, Catholic Charities, Conexion Americas, St. Luke’s Community House, Matthew Walker Comprehensive Health Center, Inc. and Fifty Forward have partnered with United Way to open and operate Restore the Dream Centers, each of which will be in place anywhere from six months to two years depending on needs and resources available.
The Centers will have on-site trained case managers who will work with individuals to design feasible solutions to meet their needs. Through a series of in-depth questions, the case managers will gain a thorough understanding of each victim’s specific needs and bring together the mix of services that victim will need to make progress toward restoring their life.
Among the many types of services that can be accessed by the network are affordable housing, legal assistance, depression treatment, employment counseling, and in-home specialists for elderly and other individuals with specialized needs.
Using United Way’s 2-1-1 Helpline resources database, case managers will be able to access more than 7,000 different resources including non-profit organizations, government programs, faith-based institutions and private companies who can provide help.
“There is still a lot of confusion about what is feasible for flood victims and many of them lack the time or resources to access all they need to make substantial progress in their recovery,” Morton said. “The beauty of this solution is that it recognizes the limitations many victims have and the importance of getting the help out to them in an informed, organized and user-friendly way.”
Individuals and families who need help can visit one of the Centers or connect with them by calling 2-1-1. There is no charge for the services provided at the Restore The Dream Centers.
United Way of Metropolitan Nashville has raised approximately $650,000 for its Restore The Dream Fund since it was activated in early May and has invested or committed $575,000 of that to flood relief initiatives of non-profit organizations in Middle Tennessee.
Contact: Phil Martin 268-8000
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United Way’s Restore The Dream Centers
Bellevue
Operated by Catholic Charities
Location: 7632 Highway 70 South (perimeter road around Bellevue Center Mall)
Hours of Operation: Wed.-Fri. 11 a.m.-6 p.m.; Sat. 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sun. noon-4 p.m.
Madison
Operated by The Salvation Army
Location: 425 Neely’s Bend Road
Hours of Operation: Monday through Friday 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
Bordeaux
Operated by Matthew Walker Comprehensive Health Center
Location: 2013 25th Avenue North (McGruder Center)
Hours of Operation: Monday through Friday 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Antioch
Operated by Conexion Americas
Location: 4903 Nolensville Pike
Hours of Operation: Mondays & Thursdays 9:00 a.m.-noon/12:30 p.m.–7:00 p.m.; Tuesdays & Wednesdays 9:00 a.m.-noon/12:30 p.m.- 5:30 p.m.; Fridays 9:00 a.m.-2 p.m.
North West Nashville
Operated by St. Luke’s Community House
Location: 5601 New York Avenue
Hours of Operation: Monday through Friday 8:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m.
