A year of extraordinary advancement, made possible by Life Group Volunteers.

Sophia’s Heart

Providing Transitional Housing and Life-Skills Programming for Homeless Families

Who we are…The Sophia’s Heart

Life Group Volunteers are a group of

volunteers who donate their time, and

resources to help facilitate programs at

the Sophia’s Heart Transitional Housing

Facility.

Who we served…Sophia’s Heart is a transitional

housing program that helps

families experiencing

homelessness, poverty,

sickness, and broken

dreams. Our goal is to

assist this organization

as it helps people put their lives back

together after suffering from

difficult times.

How we served…Our volunteer group…

gave over 6,000 volunteer hours in 6 months July- 1,000 Aug- 1,940 Sept- 2,450

Provided daily nutrition via prepared breakfasts & dinners

Taught classes: parenting, budgeting, life skills

Provided enrichment programs for children Provided spiritual and image guidance Helped with special events Provided daily transitional housing facility

assistance Provided educational assistance from GED to

professional training Deep cleaned the building Hosted parties for families and provided gifts for

birthdays, holidays, etc. Painted and helped renovate rooms

What we accomplished…•To date, The Sophia’s Heart Life Group Volunteers have provided over 6,000 volunteer hours in 6 months, and helped the organization to graduate over 30 homeless families who are now living independently.

•From cooking meals for families to leading work details and renovation projects, teaching life skills classes, and hosting special events that help displaced families feel at home, volunteers are the heartbeat of the organization.

Our Goal, Our Heart

Our goal while volunteering at Sophia’s Heart is to help families in crisis stay together during difficult

times and work towards financial and personal independence.

We are making a difference…

At full capacity, Sophia’s Heart will house up to 250 families per year; approximately100 adults and as many as 150 children! This provides assistance to nearly 8% of the reported homeless children’s population in Nashville each year! And that is just the beginning!!!

We plan to continue making a difference…

In 2014 our volunteers plan to have an ongoing relationship

with Sophia’s Heart and help the organization by…

• Increasing our volunteer hours to provide additional facility support.

• Assist the facility in creating and facilitating new programs to meet resident’s needs.

If we win part of the prize money we plan to…

– Help renovate and open the 4, seven-day-stay emergency shelter rooms. Average Cost $18,800

– Help furnish10 new transitional housing rooms to accommodate additional families. Average Cost $17,000

– Use part of the current 77,000 sq ft facility to provide a Children’s Performing Arts program that exposes low income children to new career opportunities. Average Cost $86,000

Our community needs us because…

On any given night in Nashville, there are about 4,000 homeless individuals and families including children experiencing

homelessness.(Source – Metropolitan Homeless Commission)

•In 2011, Metro Nashville Public Schools reported having 2,049 homeless children in their school system.

•Most parents DO NOT report their lack of housing to school officials for fear of losing their children.

• An average of 30 people experiencing homelessness die on the streets of Nashville each year.

We partnered with Sophia’s Heart and YOU should too because…

•Sophia’s Heart saves the community millions of dollars in emergency E.R. visits and police intervention by helping families use those resources more appropriately as they break the cycle of homelessness.

•Sophia’s Heart is one of only a few

agencies in the Middle Tennessee area

that offers transitional housing that

keeps homeless families together

under one roof without separating them.

•Sophia’s Heart is changing lives

permanently by breaking the cycle of homelessness and generational poverty through transitional housing and structured programming.

Meet Hannah Breaux, a twenty-four year old ‘Rajun Cajun’ from Southern Louisiana…

At the young age of fifteen Hannah's dream was to provide housing for homeless families and restore hope to the hopeless. Hannah's dream led her halfway around the world to South Africa for a 9-month mission trip. But when Hannah found out about Sophia's Heart and the need for live-in volunteers she knew she had found a way to fulfill her dream in her very own backyard. Home, fresh from the mission fields, Hannah jumped at the opportunity. For the past 5 weeks she has been serving at Sophia's Heart tirelessly. Hannah helps with the children’s programs, acts as a project manager for large volunteer groups, prepares rooms for new families and most importantly builds relationships with families by speaking life to them, and restoring hope just as she dreamed of at the age of fifteen.

Contact Us• Mailing Address: Sophia’s Heart, 2479

Murfreesboro Rd. #515, Nashville, TN 37217.

• Physical Address: 1034 W. Eastland Ave., Nashville, TN 37206

• General Email: info@sophiasheart.org

• Volunteer Email: Volunteer@sophiasheart.org

• Main website: www.sophiasheart.org

• Facebook: Sophia’s Heart Foundation

• Phone: 800-595-6269 or 615-804-2531

77,000 Square Foot Transitional Housing Facility

Thank You

Sophia’s Heart Foundation, Inc., is a 501 (c)(3) charitable organization

formed in Tennessee