NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — A Christian ministry whose focus is to serve the homeless and disadvantaged of Rutherford County is celebrating a major milestone — the grand opening of its new facility. Inside their Community Café, one thing all guests will find at The Journey Home is hope.
“If you don’t have hope, you can’t do anything with your life,” Board Chair Leslee Dodd Karl said.
Joseph Kimball knows that firsthand. Once homeless and battling serious health problems, he credits the nonprofit for saving his life. “I was about to give up, and the only thing that saved me was coming here,” Kimball said. “We’ve got a nurse that comes in once a week, and she said, ‘Joe, don’t give up — we’re going to get to the bottom of this.’ And we did. I’m healed.”
For nearly two decades, under the leadership of Founder and Executive Director Scott Foster, The Journey Home has provided meals, clothing, hygiene products, and both medical and mental health services to those in need. “We realize that the needs are growing in our community — that the cost of living is high, that wages have been somewhat stagnant, and that sometimes people are having trouble finding the care they need,” Foster said.
Karl said their old space just wasn’t big enough to meet the growing demand, making the new facility a much-needed expansion. Now, for the first time, the ministry will be able to offer transitional housing for up to 10 families. “We’re hoping they can stay about 90 days while we work with them and try to get them into permanent housing,” Karl said.
Kimball is now The Journey Home’s kitchen manager — living proof of what’s possible when people are given hope. “We’re like a big family, and it’s wonderful,” he said.
In 2024, The Journey Home provided more than 55,000 meals to those in need. The nonprofit is always looking for volunteers. More information, here.
This story was reported by reporter Aaron Cantrell and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Aaron and our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy
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