Our Mission
Our mission is to ensure that children experiencing unstable housing have the necessities they need to be present and ready to learn each day at school.
We believe all students and families should have everything in place to attend school. Nashville Community Connections is a volunteer-led organization that offers simple, direct ways for the Nashville community to help fellow Nashville families navigate the challenges related to unstable housing.
Through our seamless collection and distribution streams, our unique partnership with the Metro Nashville Public Schools, and our straightforward funding design, we are able to meet many of the critical needs of students and families when they need it most. When you support Nashville Community Connections, you are directly helping children have the opportunity to focus on learning and growing because they have the essential resources they need to start their day.
Stable housing impacts learning
Unstable housing comes with a bevy of challenges particular to students and education – there’s often no room, supplies or privacy to complete homework or studying; transportation is almost always a challenge; participation in extracurriculars – which helps with a feeling of belonging and school attendance – can be very complicated. Mental and medical health issues are more prevalent among youth in unstable housing. Basic needs such as hygiene, clothing and shoes are hard to manage. But, when barriers are removed, homeless students can and do succeed in school, which is their best protection against future homelessness.
Our Work in the Community
We have worked to support HERO and other Nashville students for ten years. With the recent expansion of the Nashville Community Connections model into eight essential programs, we’ll make it even easier for Nashville families to help Nashville families. Our collective impact will continue to strengthen during a time when it’s more critical than ever.
33,000+
Since 2015, we have served over 33,000 HERO students – from school clothing and shoes to assistance navigating immediate needs related to housing insecurity. This is in addition to thousands of other, non-HERO students served by in-school UniCycle Closets!
250
We work with more than 250 schools, community partners, local businesses and individuals to collect resources that are quickly distributed to students through our unique in-school delivery system.
168,000
Items of school clothing, socks and underwear have been distributed to students through the UniCycle Program.
Our Programs
Nashville Community Connections programming connects the dots to meet real and immediate needs not readily available in our community. Every family is different, and our team knows how to uncover and offer solutions to the specific challenges that each family faces. Together, we get families the resources they need to achieve the stability we all deserve.
UniCycle School Clothing Program
HERO Family Fund
HERO Pantry
Family Fuel Fund
Housewarming
Hygiene Essentials
School Supplies
Shoe Connection
As a school social worker in Nashville, where there are more needs than resources available, I'm so grateful that we can reach out to the Nashville Community Connections team and receive an often IMMEDIATE response to the very specific needs of some of our most vulnerable students and families.
Social Worker in Nashville
Knowing that we're not in this alone at the school level is so reassuring, not just to us, but to our families. We know that when our students' basic needs are not being met, they are typically unable to learn, even if they do make it to school. The HERO program and support from Nashville Community Connections' programming helps fill some of the gaps when it comes to basic needs to make sure our students feel safe and comfortable enough to learn while they are with us. MNPS's HERO program is about far more than just making sure the educational setting is not disrupted - it's about making sure families and students have the resources they need to succeed, not just survive.
MNPS Social Worker
Ways to Support Students
There are many easy ways you can make sure a child can start their day ready to learn. Click below to learn more.
Donate Funds
Give to the HERO Family Fund where funds can be used thriftily to purchase new underwear and critically-needed items that are running low, so we are always stocked.
Donate Items
Drop off gently used school clothing, shoes, new socks or underwear at one of more than 100 UniCycle collection points throughout Nashville. See the list below to find the best location for you.
Host a Drive
Many of the items we need to support families are easy and fun to collect! Check out our Host a Drive page for ideas and info, but we also love new ideas!
#DYK that the HERO Family Fund does some its best work in the summer? We`re working hard to prepare HERO students who graduated in May for college!
The flexibility of the HERO Family Fund allow us to personalize assistance per student. Commonly needed items include dorm essentials like fans and bathroom organizational gear, snacks, and technology to ensure college readiness. We`re also working with students to hash out transportation and move-in plans with them, helping with paperwork including obtaining state IDs before they set off and more.
It`s an exciting time, filled with possibility. We couldn`t do it without the support from the community through our HERO Family Fund - learn more about it and how to donate at the link in our bio!
#HEROMNPS #Nashville #Community
As we near the end of July, take advantage of our summer drop spot locations for school clothes that have been "outgrown, not worn out."
Donate your new and gently-used school clothing items to UniCycle, and we will supply them to a Nashville student in need, just in time for back to school!
Visit https://zurl.co/H6U8z to learn more about the program and what items we collect!
📍 Location Details:
@bongoeast
@fidonashville
@bellevue.family.ymca
@sequoiaswimandtennis
@7hillsswimandtennis
#UniCycle #NashvilleCommunity
Getting involved with the Nashville community has never been easier! Hosting a school clothing drive is one of the easiest ways to ensure Nashville’s children have the essentials they need to meet their day.
Visit https://zurl.co/vbspL to learn more about hosting a drive, our current needs, and how you can get started today!
#NCC #NashvilleCommunity #HostADrive
Some of the best work happening as a result of the strong partnership between @nashvillecommunityconnections and the @mnps_hero team is being able to encourage and amplify the astoundingly hard work being done by students. Thanks to your support, a young man is heading off to college in Mississippi this morning feeling prepared and ready to dive into his next chapter. 🏫📚🛏️ Watch the story at the link in our bio.
Summer is flying by, meaning back to school season is just around the corner - we`d love your help in stocking up on some things that fly off of our shelves!☀️
It`s never been easier to help ensure that ALL MNPS students have a strong start to school - make a difference with us! Check out the link in our bio to view our Amazon list filled with our most needed items💙
#UniCycle #BackToSchool
UniCycle and Nashville Community Connections are proud to be @Nashville Soccer Club Community Partners, and we`ll be in the Fan Zone prior to the game this Wednesday!
Swing by our booth to say hello, receive a special offer from @Fleet Feet Nashville and learn more about how you can support Nashville students!
#UniCycle #NCC #NSC
👋 Thanks to @newschannel5 and @amandarobertsnews for helping us spread the word about our program expansion! We`re now connecting students to resources beyond school clothing. In addition to our signature @unicycle.nashville program, we`ve grown to offer a pantry, hygiene items, shoes, a family fuel fund, the HERO Family Fund, school supplies and critical home goods to @metroschools students in unstable housing.
If you have items, want to host a drive, or would like to donate funds to keep our work going and growing, visit our website for summer drop-off locations, details on how to host a drive and all you need to know to support local students!
Are you looking for a way to support MNPS students but don`t know where to start? Our Programs page is the perfect place for you💙
Learn all about our 8 programs that support the Nashville community and how you can get involved at nashvillecommunityconnections.org/programs/
#Nashville #Community #NCCPrograms
