The Journey Home, a Christian ministry founded in 2006 to serve the homeless and disadvantaged of Rutherford County, has grown significantly since its inception. To serve the rising homeless population, the organization has recently completed its UNHOUSED Capital Campaign, and the celebration of the Grand Opening of its impressive new Community Resource Center at 1207 Old Salem Road. This new 20,000-square-foot facility is a major leap forward, expanding capacity and care with features like interim family housing units.
Providing practical resources, encouraging faith, offering stability, and helping with reintegration into community life to the disadvantaged and homeless in the area, the organization’s foundation is built on the core message that “faith is the Cornerstone” for building stable, new lives through community partnership.
“We couldn’t be more excited about this season we launch into,” said Scott Foster, Executive Director and Founder, Journey Home. “This [new] building is a great tool. It provides us with the resources that will be impacting lives…of families with children, impacting lives of senior adults, [and] folks in our community who are struggling with different issues.”
Past and New Services of The Journey Home
The previous location at 308 W. Castle Street was about one third the size of the new location. Because of the limited space, the organization was only able to offer the most basic needs, including breakfast and lunch, showers, laundry, a clothing closet, and assistance connecting people with housing. There was a wellness clinic opened for a few hours weekly that was the size of a postage stamp, and mailbox services.
Expanded services are available at the new facility, including ten much needed short-term interim housing units for families; an expanded wellness center providing low-barrier medical and mental health care; expanded mail services, as well as computer and internet access; a place to do laundry; and a much improved “market” offering clothes and food staples. There is also space for coaching services, classes, and community activities.
Initially, The Journey Home had to reach out to other organizations when helping families in crisis, now they will be able to help ten families in critical need directly. This will allow them to provide these families with stability and safety while finding permanent housing. This minimizes the traumatic effects of homelessness on children, and provides a foundation for the parents to work on long-term solutions.
Families staying on site will also be able to access many other services The Journey Home now offers, including case management, access to job training, mental health counseling, and budgeting to break the cycle of homelessness. The organization employs a “Housing First” approach, aiming to rehouse families quickly to minimize disruption.
“Services are now available to help people in crisis in our community that have never before been put under one roof, brought together, to help overcome so many obstacles that those in crisis face,” explained Foster.
Homelessness in Tennessee and Rutherford County
Visual Capitalist states that there are about 8,300 people per night who are homeless in Tennessee, and Tennessee ranks 28th as a percentage per 100,000 people. A more specific Point-in-Time Count, conducted January 2024, indicated that there were 367 people experiencing homelessness on any given day during 2024 in the Murfreesboro/Rutherford County area.
“I have seen situations that were a lot more-bleak [than the level of homelessness in Rutherford County], in major cities and in rural areas all over the country where there aren’t resources to keep a family together,” added Foster.
Homeless continues to grow in Tennessee. The five top reasons for homelessness are lack of affordable housing; job loss and unemployment; physical or mental illness and disability; substance abuse; and domestic violence and family conflict.
Working with Partners to Help Families in Crisis
Focusing on self-sufficiency, The Journey Home’s philosophy is to heal the whole person through many supportive services, providing basic needs, and offering classes so their clients have a path forward to live sustainably. These programs include employment assistance, life skills coaching, and financial literacy, which is a core component of their housing program.
Not working in a vacuum, The Journey Home has extensive collaborations with many organizations and businesses across the community. The Salvation Army, the Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault Center, Stepping Stones, Doors of Hope, and Nourish Food Bank are just a few of the non-profit organizations they work with providing and receiving referrals. They also work with more than 50 local churches, and organizations like Murfreesboro Young Professionals and Leadership Rutherford. These organizations support them through volunteerism, and financially in some cases. Publix, Kroger, and Aldi each donate groceries to use for meal preparation for the Community Café.
“We also are supported by area restaurants who donate financially and with food, like Arby’s and Chicken Salad Chick,” said Lisbeth Couser, Business Manager, The Journey Home. “Additionally, the business community supports us by volunteering and making financial contributions. We are especially grateful to the Christy-Houston Foundation for their leadership gift.”
In 2024, the most current statistics available, The Journey Home served more than 2,600 people across 1,400 households. They helped stabilize 350 households, a figure which includes 120 households that received eviction prevention services. During the same period, the Community Café served a total of 55,000 meals, which averages approximately 4,583 meals per month. Their Coldest Nights Program, which opens when the temperature is 32 degrees or below, offered 206 individuals life-saving winter shelter during this same period.
Story of Success
One success story is that of single mother Teresa, and her 16-year-old son, Caleb. After losing their home, they were forced to live in their car because most local shelters could not accommodate a family with a male child over a certain age. As winter approached, Teresa reached out to The Journey Home. The organization provided Teresa with temporary housing, regular meals, and laundry services to help her get back on her feet. After a few months of assistance, Teresa was able to put down a deposit on an apartment, and begin a new life together with her son.
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