Statements
Mission
The mission of the MDHA Housing Trust Corporation is to engage and assist in the development of affordable and mixed-income housing in Nashville, Tenn., as an instrument of the Metropolitan Development and Housing Agency (MDHA), and to engage and assist MDHA in its community and urban development activities by way of donations, loans and grants.
Background
MDHA Housing Trust Corporation is a nonprofit instrument of MDHA and was established in 1989 to help the housing authority fund affordable housing developments. MDHA was established in 1938 and soon after started construction on subsidized rental housing developments throughout Nashville.
In 1991, MDHA Housing Trust Corporation provided a construction loan to MDHA to build seven affordable homes that were sold to low-income, first-time homebuyers; the units were built in an inner-city subdivision, planned to contain 63 new homes. By providing the construction loan, the seven low-income homebuyers were able to utilize a state grant that provided down payment and closing cost assistance. In 1997, the MDHA Housing Trust Corporation provided a second $50,000 mortgage loan for the renovation of a property in a south Nashville neighborhood to help keep the rents affordable to lower income households. In 1998, the MDHA Housing Trust Corporation became the general partner in a limited partnership that applied and received low-income housing tax credits from the Tennessee Housing Development Agency (THDA) to leverage funds received from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for the development of 152 units at Vine Hill Apartments. MDHA Housing Trust Corporation was also the recipient of funds used to develop a community center for residents of Vine Hill Apartments. In 2000, MDHA Housing Trust Corporation was the nonprofit corporation that participated in the development of 298 units at Historic Preston Taylor Apartments.
More recently, MDHA Housing Trust Corporation received grant awards to support its residents. 2019-2023 Highlights include: 1) various local banks and foundations have awarded grants to support Work Readiness programming that removes workforce barriers like driver's license reinstatement and record expunction, ConnectHome programming that narrows the digital divide by bringing high-speed broadband access, high quality devices, digital literacy training and ongoing support to families who live in subsidized housing communities, as well as Financial Freedom and Homebuyer Club programming which empowers individuals with tools and resources needed to move into middle-skill jobs by establishing bank accounts, improving credit scores, learning basic budgeting skills and developing savings goals like emergency savings and homeownership.
Impact
MDHA Housing Trust Corporation is grateful to the following funders who provided recent grant awards:
• Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee (CFMT) to improve equity for 100 individuals who earn low incomes by removing barriers to the workforce. In addition, the CFMT also supported 20 entry-level maintenance technicians with a high-demand skilled trade through on-the-job and classroom training for potential advancement.
• Fifth Third Bank Foundation to support ConnectHome programming for high school students who reside in MDHA's Cayce Place and community engagement planning for the new park for the Cayce Transformation.
• Frist Foundation to increase access to COVID-19 vaccinations in minority communities. First Foundation also supported the Community Resource Center in preparing and delivering 1,500 COVID-19 kits to MDHA residents who are 62 years and older and who have disabilities.
• Google Fiber to support high-quality devices and ConnectHome digital literacy programming to support high school seniors from MDHA's Napier Place and Sudekum Apartments.
• Regions Bank to support MDHA's Work Readiness Revolving Loan Fund, a no-interest loan to increase economic prosperity and social justice by removing fees and legal barriers for 100 low-income individuals.
• United Way of Greater Nashville to support the purchase of freezer and refrigerators at MDHA's tower properties, which are home to residents 62 years and older and those who have disabilities, to enable acceptance of perishable donations.
• West End Home Foundation supported a COVID-19 resource navigator to mobilize resources and facilitate logistics of delivery to its 1,900 low-income seniors in Davidson County.
Accomplishments:
- Nonprofit sponsor of a 100-unit multi-family housing development on Rolling Mill Hill with assistance of Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC) from THDA.
- Nonprofit sponsor of a 60-unit artist residence at Rolling Mill Hill with assistance of LIHTC from THDA.
- Nonprofit sponsor of four mixed-income housing developments with a total of approximately 400 units being developed as part of the Envision Cayce Transformation initiative.
- Nonprofit sponsor of Curb Victory Hall, a 37-unit affordable housing development for Veterans experiencing homelessness.
Goals:
- Aggressively pursue grants and contributions to support the residents of MDHA's subsidized and mixed-income housing developments.
- Continue to collaborate with a wide variety of social services partners to pursue funding for services and programs that will benefit residents.
Needs
MDHA residents are predominately minority (91% Black, 64% Female), earn low incomes, receive federal assistance, come from disadvantaged backgrounds and face social determinates of health including community risk factors (e.g., high rates of poverty, crime, and unemployment) that play a key role in determining health outcomes and overall success in life.
The most pressing needs facing the MDHA Housing Trust Corporation are the need for capital to support the development of affordable housing and for funds to help with the unmet social services needs of residents. The average resident income for those who earn income is $10,551, far below the 2023 federal poverty level of 14,580 for a household of one. In several MDHA federally subsidized developments, more than half of the residents report zero income.
Service Categories |
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| Primary Category: | Housing, Shelter - Housing Development, Construction & Management |
| Secondary Category: | - |
| Tertiary Category: | - |
Areas Served
The MDHA Housing Trust Corporation serves a wide variety of citizens residing in low-income and mixed-income housing apartments across the city of Nashville, Davidson County.
| TN - Davidson |
