Statements
Mission
Our mission is to eliminate homelessness among our country's veterans. We do this by providing assistance to veterans who are on the verge of going homeless through our Homeless Prevention Program. Through Project Advance, our program to transition homeless veterans to sustained independent living, we also seek to reduce the population of veterans who are homeless or incarcerated, by providing the opportunities necessary for a successful re-entry into society to those veterans who have made a decision to change their lives. We do this in gratitude to those who have given so much of themselves to preserve the freedoms we so greatly enjoy.
Background
The driving force that led Tim Gregath to start Building Lives was his father, a Marine in WWII. Jack was a small sized entrepreneur who always hired a large part of his work force from the local shelter or halfway house. Tim realized that his Dad did this as a standard operating procedure with his business and asked why? Jack responded that everyone deserves second chances. Grace is all about where that person is today and where that person can go in the future, not about where they have been. In large part, starting Building Lives was done to honor Jack Gregath by continuing this tradition of helping those veterans who have been marginalized by their past mistakes, their religion, their race, or any other factor that has left them homeless and in need.
Impact
Key challenges/opportunities addressed in our May, 2023 At our organizational board meeting we discussed expanding our board up to 19 board members. We attained a key goal of 2021 which was to become a debt free organization by paying off the balance of our mortgage on our Academy House. We are looking to the future for key corporate and private sponsors to seek the ability to double our capacity within the next 1-2 fiscal years to serve the veteran community here in Middle Tennessee. If and when funds are raised we will not exceed more than what we had just previously paid off to open our second Academy House. We see the need to open up a house for our female veterans. We are forming a search team to work on the best possible pathway forward. We are also seeking ways to expand to expand our efforts in serving the veteran community through project advance.
Needs
The most pressing needs of our organization are: Financial support to address the overwhelming needs of the veteran community who are homeless and/or recently incarcerated. Volunteers to fill the resource coordinator/mentor positions needed to serve additional participants. Vehicle donations to provide necessary transportation.
CEO Statement
The single most significant driving force causing failure for people attempting to set their life in order, re-enter society or break out of the homeless cycle is opportunity. Building Lives has structured the organization to provide the basic opportunities that have to be present for an individual to be successful in this endeavor. Many fine organizations provide the necessary initial human development, rehabilitation, counseling and treatment to address major human issues. After successfully completing these programs, individuals are ready to step out and move forward to regain self respect and improve their life. Where do they go? Who will provide them a suitable job? Basic housing? A means to reestablish their credit? Transportation? Insurance? Training? In Davidson and surrounding counties, one such organization is Building Lives Foundation.
Board Chair Statement
Since we began in January 2007, we have assisted 1400 individuals and families in their quest to significantly change their lives from being homeless or incarcerated to a contributing member of society. Our success rate continues to be between 85% and 93%. We base this on confirming the number of our clients that are housed in permanent housing as of December 31 of each year. The real heroes are these men and women who are devoting their energy to attaining their new goals in life. Over 90% of our net revenue goes directly to these individuals. Please help by contacting us and assisting in any way you can. Our collective efforts have saved the Tennessee taxpayers well over $15,000,000 since we started because these individuals are successfully employed rather than homeless or back in prison.
Service Categories |
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| Primary Category: | Human Services - Homeless Services/Centers |
| Secondary Category: | Public & Societal Benefit - Military/Veterans' Organizations |
| Tertiary Category: | Employment - Employment Preparation & Procurement |
Areas Served
We serve the needy veterans of Davidson County, Tennessee and the greater Middle Tennessee area. We also assist transient veterans who are in Davidson County at the time of their emergency.
| TN - Dickson |
| TN - Davidson |
| TN - Williamson |
| TN - Rutherford |
| TN - Bedford |
| TN - Coffee |
| TN - Cheatham |
| TN - Maury |
| TN - Montgomery |
| TN - Sumner |
| TN - Wilson |
