Nonprofit Group Expands Veteran Housing Efforts | New

NASHVILLE, TN (WSMV) – On the eleventh day of the eleventh month, at the eleventh hour, we honor veterans for their service to our country.

This morning, veterans groups and their supporters will march on Broadway, but there is a non-profit that works year round to help tackle veteran homelessness and they are getting help. from Kirkland to help even more.

“We are in such a unique situation in partnering with Kirkland’s,” says Jeff Upton, executive director of Kirkland’s. “You just don’t hear about it in the nonprofit world of a small nonprofit with an overall budget of $ 350,000 to $ 400,000 per year, to be associated with a national organization.”

“We’re Building Lives” is the name of the nonprofit and they provide transitional housing, jobs and skills training, as well as financial assistance to veterans.

In 2020, the organization has prevented 73 veterans and their families from becoming homeless and 67 from becoming homeless so far in 2021.

Upton says that with Kirkland’s help, they were able to pay for their Academy House, where they are temporarily housing the veterans, and now they are saving for a second.

He says that through donations of furniture and money they can help more people and next year Kirkland will sell a candle with 100 percent of the proceeds going directly to Building Lives.

As they do what they can now, the nonprofit says they know more people will need help in the year to come.

“Especially this year looking at what happened here recently with the withdrawal of our troops from Afghanistan,” says Upton. “Well a lot of people will say the war is over and my point is I think the war and the battle is just beginning because you are going to have men and women coming back with emotional and lifelong scars, post-traumatic stress, the return to the country they helped defend and sometimes they feel like they have been forgotten.

This morning’s Veterans Parade begins at 11 a.m. and takes place here on Broadway between 14th and 3rd avenues.

The candle is not yet available, but they will start selling it on Remembrance Day next year and it will go through Veterans Day.

There are several Veterans Day events in Midstate today:

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