Statements

Mission

Rooftop's mission is to Keep Nashville Housed: Building stability through a compassionate & collaborative rent/mortgage assistance program.

47% of all Americans state they don't have $400 saved for a financial emergency. (rockefellerfoundation.org) Rooftop serves this population by interrupting the eviction cycle for Davidson County residents with sustainable living situations but whose housing stability has been threatened by unexpected financial hardship. Once a person loses a home, the eviction goes on their credit record and the odds change dramatically against that person ever regaining stable and permanent housing. A chronically homeless person costs the taxpayer an average of $35,578 per year whereas supportive housing costs an average of $12,800 (endhomelessness.org). Between 2020 and 2022, Rooftop actively participated in the community response to natural disasters, COVID-19, and other financial assistance needs. The organization stabilized 1,216 households, distributing slightly over $2 million in assistance, which positively affected more than 2,900 people in Nashville. In 2022, Rooftop additionally processed 232 emergency rental HOPE applications, representing $1.3+ million in assistance paid through the Metro government. In 2023, $642,520 was distributed to stabilize 253 households, preventing eviction or foreclosure for 591 Nashvillians.

Background

In the fall of 2005, there was a noticeable increase in the number of rental assistance requests to many congregations in Nashville. Contact was made with 2-1-1, the telephone help-line for United Way, to find out what resources were available for rental assistance. They replied that the few agencies offering assistance were often out of money and that they were suggesting that clients call churches and congregations for help. In an effort to meet the challenge, representatives from 15 congregations met together in January, 2006 to determine if there was a way for them to work together by pooling their funds and by sharing information. The congregations were Brookmeade Congregational; The Catholic Cathedral of the Incarnation; Christ Church Cathedral (Episcopal); First Baptist Church -Nashville; First Baptist Church-Capitol Hill; First Lutheran Church; First Presbyterian Church; Holy Trinity Episcopal Church; Second Presbyterian Church; St. Ann's Episcopal Church; St. Bartholomew's Episcopal Church; St. George's Episcopal Church; Trinity Presbyterian Church; West End United Methodist Church; and Westminster Presbyterian Church. Since that initial meeting the number of member congregations with whom we have partnered has grown to 57. Currently congregations, foundations, businesses, and individuals generously give to provide assistance funds. We screen the applicants, require documentation of the financial crisis that caused their need for assistance as well as documentation of sustainability going forward. . Our social workers have the authority to pay up to between $1000 -$5,000 (grant dependent) directly to the landlord/mortgage company/utility company if they confirm that the need is legitimate.

Impact

Congregations, foundations, and individuals from the community have invested time, expertise, and funding in Rooftop Nashville since 2006. A committed board and staff have invested years in fostering community relationships and establishing effective program processes grounded in data. Those investments enabled Rooftop to be in a unique position to respond during times of a natural disaster or a pandemic. In 2023, Rooftop stabilized 253 households, distributing $642,520 in assistance impacting 591 Nashvillans. Rooftop conducts follow-up interviews with clients at 60 days, 6 months, and 12 months. Success is defined by a resident's capability to stay in their home or relocate to a more desirable place without having an eviction or foreclosure. 2022 Data: 60 days - 99.5% in the home where assisted or able to move; .5% eviction/foreclosure. 6 months- 95% in the home where assisted or able to move; 4% evicted/foreclosure. 12 months- 88% in the home where assisted or able to move; 12% eviction/foreclosure.

Needs

There are opportunities to serve as a social media ambassador, participate in fundraising campaigns, or join a board committee. Please visit Hands on Nashville or contact Rooftop at info@rooftopnashville.org for specific opportunities.

While rents in Nashville are on the rise and balances are high due to the economic impact of the pandemic and inflation, each donation assists in keeping a resident housed. The average assistance grant in 2023 was $1,600, but as little as $75 can make the difference for some households where a car repair or taking off to care for a sick child can alter their monthly budget.

CEO Statement

Responding to the natural disasters and pandemic needs from 2020 to the present has highlighted Nashville's ability to come together. It's also brought a heightened awareness of the affordable housing crisis. Rooftop works in the area of prevention. The mission is simple, provide one-time assistance for a resident in need who will be sustainable moving forward and provide resources and education for those in on-going situations. The collaborations established by Rooftop, combined with an effective data-driven approach, have resulted in the stabilization of over 8,693 households since 2006. Rooftop has always prided itself on the ability to adjust criteria to meet community needs. This was evident in our response during the past four years. The greatest challenge and biggest opportunity for Rooftop will be building on the lessons learned and capitalizing on the awareness of the housing issue. It's time to use Nashville's collective desire to come together to provide a One Nashville approach to financial assistance, reducing barriers for our residents. Rooftop is proud to work with The United Way of Greater Nashville's Community Assistance Network, Legal Aid's Eviction Right to Counsel Program, and other partners to make this approach a reality. The commitment of Rooftop in 2024 is to make an impact within our organization, for our neighbors, and within the community.

Board Chair Statement

Rooftop Nashville has given to me, as a board member and board chair, a wonderful and sometime terrifying gift: the gift of seeing a roof over my head, and the security that it will stay there, as foundational to all other parts of my life - the ability to shelter from the wet, cold and heat; to have a real meal; to have my children feel secure; to prepare for a day in a professional office; to have a sense of neighborhood and place. The gift is wonderful because it puts all else in perspective, and terrifying because it highlights how close so many people are to losing the foundation that a home brings. Many of the successes and challenges facing Rooftop Nashville stem from the same root: no one else does what exactly what Rooftop does. Rooftop Nashville is unique in that it is one of only a handful of foundations in Middle Tennessee that address homelessness systemically through prevention, not treatment. Once a person loses his/her home and becomes homeless (which often happens due to unexpected emergency expenses that prevent housing payment), the odds change dramatically against that person ever regaining stable and permanent housing. The average annual cost associated with one homeless person in Nashville is roughly $14,000 a year. When Rooftop provides a grant of $1000 in a twelve month period to ensure that tenants at risk of eviction are able to meet their rent, we are able to stop homelessness by preventing it from happening. This service provides renewed housing stability and hope to the tenant and family. Further, we aid other homelessness agencies by slowing the rate of people becoming homeless, thereby allowing them to address the present need, and hopefully not a growing need. Of course, we count as our greatest success the fact that every single day we are able to renew a sense of hope in a person or family that they will be able to wake up in the morning with a roof over the heads. You can help provide that stability and that hope by giving to Rooftop Nashville.

Service Categories
Primary Category:	Human Services  - Emergency Assistance (Food, Clothing, Cash)
Secondary Category:	-
Tertiary Category:	-

Areas Served

TN - Davidson