Soles4Souls, a nonprofit organization since 2005, organizes the donation of shoes to needy populations worldwide. They have shipped thousands of "soles" to over 35 states and 50 countries, and have recently chosen our very own Nashville as a recipient city! The Academy, our intensive rehabilitation program begun last fall, is officially the recipient of 31 pairs of brand new men's shoes. Last week, the men gratefully received these shoes, shoes that will keep them on their feet and working towards better life and job skills. Thank you Soles4Souls! 
UHS Awarded New Property
We are proud to announce that we were recently chosen as recipient of a former
The property, at the corner of
The small cafeteria will be converted to a cafe with possible performance space for exhibits, open-mic nights, meetings, or activities sponsored by the League for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. Seven upper-level units will be small shops for artists, entrepreneurs, or even pastry chefs to sell their wares to the community.
Plans are still underway, but we thank Mr. Preston very much for this honor and opportunity. We also thank you for your involvement with us, without which we couldn't continue to undertake great ventures such as this! We will keep you updated on this visionary project's progress!
Healthy Residents, Healthy Opportunities!
The Health Fair held on Wednesday, June 18th, was a raving success. The annual event hosted residents from Mercury
Courts, Greentree Terrace, and Fisk Courts. We're happy to report that we had more residents than at last year's fair, more than 50 attendees! Not only did residents have the chance to interact with those from other properties, the fair offered comprehensive health screenings and activities.
Vanderbilt Nursing School students conducted numerous health checks including cholesterol and blood sugar tests, blood pressure tests, and height and weight checks. The Metro Health Department completed STD/HIV tests, and Meharry Dental School did dental screenings!
Visiting every check station and participating in group games, residents then enjoyed a healthy dinner provided by UHS and went home with more knowledge and resources than before! Thank you to our Health Fair partners this year.
We're replacing the old metal playground at our Eastwood Courts location, and we need your help! The new playground will be built of recycled plastic and have several more activities than the swings and slide offered now. In fact, the children who live at Eastwood will make the final decision about which playground we install! Our goal is to raise $20,000 by July 15, 2008 so that we can install the new playground by August 15, 2008. Want to help? Donate now and be sure to designate your gift for the Eastwood playground! Thanks!
Find out How to File Your Income Taxes for Free!
The United Way's Nashville Wealth Building Alliance will be hosting several VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) sites beginning January 31, 2008. If your household earned $40,000 or less in 2007, they will prepare and file your income taxes at no cost! Trained volunteers will be able to file up to 2 years of back taxes, help you apply for the Earned Income Tax Credit (if you meet the qualifications), and set you up with a bank account on the same day. To find the site nearest you, please call 2-1-1 and ask about free tax prep.
iBakeSale.com partners with hundreds of online stores to allow shoppers to receive up to 20% cashback from everyday online purchases. You can then choose to keep the cash OR donate it to Urban Housing Solutions with the click of a mouse!
- Go to www.IBakeSale.com
- Sign-up using your name and email address
- Select Urban Housing Solutions Inc as your chosen "Cause"
- Under "My Account" then "Edit My Profile," select the percentage of your cashback that you'd like to donate to UHS
- Hint: By downloading the "Shopping Bag" feature, you can shop directly through any vendor's website and ibakesale.com will notify you if the site participates in the program!
As you do your online shopping this year, your cashback contributions will accumulate and help us carry out our mission to provide affordable housing for low-income Nashvillians.
Thanks for Your Support of Our 2007 Silent Art Auction at the Parthenon!
We would like to thank our sponsors, artists, and guests for their generous support of our first silent auction! With your help, we raised over $5,000 for resident programs like the Resident Assistance Fund! We'll post pictures soon. If you have questions or want to be a part of our 2008 auction, please contact Georgia at (615) 726-2696, ext. 125, Pamela at ext. 129, or Brandi at ext. 114. Thank you!
Winners Announced for Our Juried Art Competition for Local High School and College Students
Art students from Overton High School, Battle Ground Academy, Hillsboro High School, Pearl Cohn High School, University School of Nashville, and Watkins College of Art and Design competed in our first annual student art competition. Congratulations to all our winners and their dedicated teachers!
*Best in Show went to Israel Cortez for Arbol de Vida
*Tied for 1st place in Painting/Drawing were Andrew King's A Question of Art and Joshua River's Untitled
*3rd place in Painting/Drawing went to Coley Horner for Draw Bob
*1st place for Photography went to Andrew Bustamante for Downtown Movement; he won 2nd place for Downtown Momentum
*1st place for 3-D went to Zac Hill for Creatures
*2nd place for 3-D went to Alex Huffstatler for Structure
If you would to participate in our 2008 competition, please call Georgia at (615) 726-2696, ext. 125; Pamela at ext. 129, or Brandi at ext. 114.
The Wait Is Over . . .The Academy Is Here!
Are you a man with a sincere and desperate need to change your life? Are you about to be released from prison, on drugs, or chronically homeless? Are you willing to commit two years to a work-based, transformational program? Would you like to learn new skills that can help you to improve your life? The Academy may be just what you need! Based on the each one, teach one philosophy, The Academy has no social workers. Instead it relies on senior residents to teach newer residents new skills and better, more socially acceptable behaviors. Interested? Call Frederick Hilliard or James Wheeler at (615) 262-3003 or e-mail theacademy@urbanhousingsolutions.org
Here's what Urban Housing Solutions offers:
- Over 600 affordable rental apartments at different locations throughout Nashville and Madison.
- Safe, secure, well-lighted properties that have been Section 8 approved.
- Good locations close to bus lines, grocery stores, laundries, and other conveniences.
- Below market-rate rents.
- Specialized housing for the homeless, individuals in recovery, and people with mental illness. We also have housing for individuals and families who simply cannot afford market-rate housing. Our monthly rent starts at just $360 for an efficiency apartment.
- Assistance with emotional and mental health problems, transportation, and substance abuse issues.
- Linkage to a variety of other governmental and private services and benefits through our team of social workers.
- Spanish translations of applications, leases, and other forms.
411 Murfreesboro Road
Nashville, Tennessee 37210
(615) 726-2696