NeedLink Nashville

1600 56th Avenue North Nashville, TN 37209

(615) 269-6835 FAX: (615) 269-9187

www.needlink.org

Facebook.com/needlinknashville Twitter @NeedLink1912

FY14 Annual Report

July 2013 – June 2014

NeedLink’s biggest “move” in FY14 was finding a new home

after our South Nashville building was sold. Relocating to the

St. Luke’s Community House complex in West Nashville has

proven to be a great step. The new location is a short walk

through a residential neighborhood from the bus stop, making

it more accessible to clients. The waiting room is inviting, and

the space is just the right size for NeedLink’s two-person

staff, interns, and volunteers. Plus, NeedLink enjoys being part

of the St. Luke’s Community and working with their program

manager to better serve mutual clients.

1NeedLink Nashville was proud to be named the winner of

the Memorial Foundation’s Leadership Award at the 2013

Salute to Excellence, hosted by the Center for Nonprofit

Management. This award recognizes the hard work our

board and staff have done to improve our program

management, budgeting, and record-keeping. It’s hard to

admit that our organization hasn’t always lived up to its

potential. We’ve always been working hard to help

community members in need, but we once struggled to

effectively govern our organization and administer our

programs. It means so much to everyone involved with

NeedLink to be recognized by the nonprofit community for

the strides we have made in leadership development and

organizational management.

Thanks to The Memorial Foundation for sponsoring this meaningful award.

Welcome Home

Salute to Excellence

NeedLink’s biggest “move” in FY14 was finding a new home

after our South Nashville office was sold. Relocating to the St.

Luke’s Community House complex in West Nashville has

proven to be a great step. The new location is a short walk

through a residential neighborhood from the bus stop, making

it more accessible to clients. The waiting room is inviting, and

the space is just the right size for NeedLink’s two-person staff,

interns, and volunteers. Plus, NeedLink enjoys being part of the

St. Luke’s Community and working with their program

manager to better serve mutual clients.

Thanks to The Frist Foundation for helping NeedLink move in to our new office.

Photos Courtesy Schenk Photography

NeedLink provided more than

$360,000 in emergency

assistance in FY14, a 6%

increase over the previous year.

Because of the great need for

rental assistance, NeedLink

increased eviction prevention

funding more than 35% in FY14.

Electricity assistance continues

to be the most common type of

assistance provided, because of

the number of applications and

the support available from

Nashville Electric Service and

its customers.

One in five Davidson County residents lives in poverty, and

thousands more are close to the edge, working low-wage jobs

or surviving on a fixed income. When someone is unable to

save for a rainy day, a medical co-pay, a car repair, or a new

baby can stretch household finances to the breaking point.

NeedLink’s emergency financial assistance program ensures

that Nashvillians facing a financial crisis do not become

homeless or have to go without critical utility services. A small

payment to help cover a past-due bill or rent can provide the

short-term stability that a household needs to see beyond

their crisis and begin planning for their financial future.

NeedLink’s Emergency Financial Assistance program

o Kept 183 adults and 237 children in stable housing

o Provided electricity for 1905 adults and 1961 children

o Made sure 212 adults and 298 kids had running water

o Maintained natural gas heat for 93 adults and 83 children

NeedLink places priority on serving vulnerable people:

All Applicants Households Assisted

Single Parents 41% 50%

Disabled Adult 32% 35%

Disabled Child 3% 4%

Seniors 8% 15%

Thanks for supporting our FY14 Emergency Assistance Program

Nashville Electric Service Project Help Participants

Metro Nashville Community Enhancement Fund

The Ansley Fund of the Frist Foundation

The Dorothy Cate and Thomas F. Frist Foundation

The Neighbor’s Keeper Fund at The Community Foundation of Middle TN

The Memorial Foundation The Boulevard Bolt

The Gannett Foundation The Piedmont Natural Gas Foundation

Emergency Financial Assistance

In 2013, NeedLink celebrated Nashville’s 102nd Annual Holiday

Food Delivery, with volunteers taking boxes of groceries to

1,500 Nashville-area households at risk of hunger during the

holiday season.

Food was shared with…

o 1546 children and 1916 adults

o 1052 community members with disabilities

o 673 seniors

o 370 single-parent families

Boxes included more than 41,000 pounds of food.

o Low-salt vegetables

o Peanut butter

o Brown rice

o Oatmeal

o Fresh potatoes

o …and much more

65 non-profit agencies, low-income housing communities,

schools, Head Starts, and churches were invited to refer

people at risk of hunger, preventing duplication of efforts.

Thanks for supporting our Holiday Food Deliveries

Bank of America Foundation HCA

Woodmont Church of Christ Pratt Industries

Davidson Co. Sheriff’s Department Tennessee State Fairgrounds

Sunrise of Nashville Waste Management

Garrison Service Company Hands On Nashville

Cleveland Street Baptist Church Nashville Predators

Murfreesboro Road Civitan Club Telecom Pioneers

Nashville Electric Service Employees Tennessee State University

Metro Nashville Police Department Baker Donelson

Bar-B-Cutie Jet’s Pizza Chick-Fil-A Krispy Kreme Starbucks

Holiday Food Deliveries

According to Metro Social Services, one in five Davidson

County residents lives in poverty. 40% of Nashville’s

single-parent families are impoverished. Many more of our

seniors and community members with disabilities live on fixed

incomes that are just above the threshold of poverty and don’t

always cover basic living costs.

Rents continue to rise after going up more than $100 per

month in the last 5 years, and housing people can afford is torn

down every day to make room for a growing urban population.

In FY14, our neighbors faced the additional challenge of an

unrelenting winter. Low-income renters are more likely to live

in poorly insulated housing with outdated HVAC units and

thus, pay more for electricity. Many households faced month

after month of $300+ heating bills this past winter.

o United Way’s 2-1-1 helpline made more than 38,000

referrals for rent and utility assistance in 2013.

o Because NeedLink provides these important services, we

received more referrals from 2-1-1-than any other

nonprofit in Middle Tennessee.

o More than 6,000 applicants came to NeedLink for help in

FY14 with past-due bills totaling more than $1.6

million.

NeedLink stretched its $360,000 assistance budget to cover

the past-due amount for 1/3 of these applicants.

# of Requests #Approved %Approved

Electric 4297 1559 32%

Water 433 165 38%

Gas 207 79 38%

Rent 654 175 27%

What Nashville Needs

Nashville’s civic organizations have long supported the work

that Needlink does. Indeed, civic support was the cornerstone

of Big Brothers of Nashville’s work in the community. Civic

groups continue to support the century-long special edition

giving campaign and to support NeedLink directly through

their charitable campaigns.

Thank You for Your Support!

American Legion Post # 5 Kiwanis Club of Nashville

Murfreesboro Road Civitan Club Nashville City Civitan Club

Sertoma Club of Nashville Economic Club of Nashville

After another great year, NeedLink is focusing forward. Our

Board of Directors is working with the Center for Nonprofit

Management and consultant Cissy Mynatt to create a three-

year plan to envision what we can achieve within our

organization and what impact we can have for people in need

in our community.

Thanks to the HCA Foundation for supporting our Strategic Planning Initiative.

Focused on the Future

Civic Support

2014-2015 Board of Directors Bobby Waechter, President Michael White, Vice-President Heather Pedigo, Secretary

Raymond James 1st Baptist Church, South Inglewood Sarah Cannon Research Institute

Melissa Koppel, Treasurer Alexandra Amelang Jeremy R. Brooks Robert Corenswet

Citi Community Capital Infiniti Americas Parallon Coldwell Banker

Joshua B. Crutcher Gay Levine Eisen Brian Johnson

St. Thomas Health Attorney-At-Law Metro Nashville Police Department

Brian Lee Linda M. Payne Emily Petro

Regions Bank City National Bank Tennessee Higher Education Commission

Michael Pugh Lynn Vincent John D. Winnett

Nashville City Civitan Club Ensworth School Boys & Girls Clubs of Middle Tennessee