Statements

Mission

We believe in the healing power of the human-animal bond. Our mission is to transform lives by creating housing and employment opportunities for young adults facing poverty and homelessness to care for homeless dogs and cats.

Background

Established in 2010, Crossroads nurtures the healing power of the human-animal bond between young adults (ages 16 - 25) who have been traumatized by homelessness, time in the foster care system, societal inequities or childhood abuse and traumatized pets who have been abandoned. Despite the significant challenges they face, our young people are resilient and determined. We are committed to helping them change their trajectories as they heal and transition to adulthood by building pathways to sustainable careers that pay a living wage and stable housing in order to break the cycle of intergenerational poverty.

We carry out that mission through a range of programs that include: (1) career access that provides a living wage through social enterprise-driven training programs; (2) income-based housing in a safe, supportive and loving community; (3) equity-based and trauma-responsive support services that are strengths-based and culturally sensitive; (4) intensive job readiness and life skills coaching, job placement and employment retention support; and (5) an environment that fosters personal healing and community building through the human-animal bond.

At our Germantown Campus (707 Monroe Street), programs include the Pet Shop + Adopt where we support pet owners through our social enterprise retail business that creates paid job training internships, pet grooming services and pet adoptions. More than 1400 dogs and cats have been adopted into forever homes. We also offer affordable housing in a 4 unit dormitory-style apartment and our Caring Connections program that educates people to have compassion for all living things through positive interactions with animals. At our Buchanan Campus (1757 16th Avenue N) that opened in Summer 2023, Crossroads provides 22 affordable living units including efficiencies and shared living apartments. Social enterprises at the Buchanan Campus are expanding to include the only professional pet grooming school in Middle Tennessee, a dog training academy and dog park, a cat adoption center and a unique cat cafe where coffee and ice cream will be served. In addition to job training opportunities, Crossroads' innovative social enterprise model provides earned income that combines with our traditional philanthropy to create a diversified, balanced and sustainable revenue base.

Impact

Crossroads creates opportunities of hope for young people who have experienced trauma, and our goal is to activate positive change in their lives so that these individuals can thrive and contribute rather than spend their lives struggling to meet their basic needs.

Our programs are centered on the recognition of the inherent worth and dignity of the young people and animals we care for, and we work to effectively respond to their needs in an atmosphere of compassion and mutual respect. Crossroads strives to be a place of belonging, and we work with our young people to build a loving and supportive community in which everyone can experience acceptance.

We believe that fostering hope within our young people starts with helping them recognize their strengths and find a sense of purpose. Giving them the opportunity to help homeless animals provides an effective starting point for that journey. Additionally, when we teach young people to not judge an animal based on challenging behaviors but rather to compassionately work with that animal to help it overcome the fear and trauma that are likely driving those behaviors, young people also learn to view themselves differently and with compassion. As they see an animal transform into a confident and loving companion, they come to understand that they are not defined by past behaviors or the assumptions of others about who they are and what they can achieve.

Many of the young people we bring into our programs are "disconnected" meaning they have not been working or in school and many are homeless or unstably housed. Therefore, the long-term outcomes we work toward include 1) successful engagement in work, school, or both and 2) stable housing. To date, 92% of the participants we have surveyed at 1-year after exit have been found to be connected, meaning they were working, in school or both, and 100% have been stably housed.

Needs

As Crossroads Campus nears completion of an ambitious $13.1 million capital campaign to expand our community impact with the construction of the Buchanan Campus, we are less than $350,000 away from our goal. We are actively pursuing donations from individuals, foundations, corporations and other organizations to reach that campaign goal. Because Crossroads now has two campuses with a total of 26 affordable housing units, we are in a position to offer income-based apartments to more unstably housed young adults in Nashville. That welcome expansion brings with it the need for increased operating dollars for increased staffing and facilities to support job training, workforce readiness services and essential case management support. Because of our unique social enterprise operations, we welcome customers to our revenue-generating initiatives including (1) the Pet Shop + Adopt pet supply center where people can "purchase with a purpose"; (2) pet grooming services; (3) pet adoptions; (4) Cross-Paws Academy for dog training; and (5) the cat cafe where ice cream and coffee will be served in Winter/Spring 2024.

Service Categories
Primary Category:	Human Services  - Homeless Services/Centers
Secondary Category:	Animal Related  - Animal Protection & Welfare
Tertiary Category:	Employment  - Job Training

Areas Served

Middle Tennessee

TN - Davidson