Flexibility is key when housing is unstable
The HERO Family Fund is a flexible, community-sourced budget that allows our team and partners at HERO to immediately provide critical needs to families. The fund is used for items that are essential to a student or family’s progress, but are not readily available through other community resources. Common resource gaps in Nashville include transportation services, basic goods to make living in an inadequate space more comfortable, and the financial costs of obtaining employment and navigating housing instability.
What this means
Days for our families are often unpredictable. We’re able to provide rideshare services and gas cards to mitigate transportation barriers; air mattresses, fans or heaters to assist families living doubled-up or in a space not designed for sleeping with some comfort; specific grocery items to make living without a kitchen more manageable. Providing help in the form of application fees for apartments or dorm rooms (yay!) and eliminating past-due utility bills often paves the bumpy route into permanent housing in a low-cost but lifechanging way.
The HERO team’s involvement in the school life of students offers a peek into a lot of the behind-the-scenes needs of a family that can be a bridge to progress or lead to a major setback. Together, we can fill in gaps to ensure that those manageable setbacks are fewer and farther between than the steps forward.
High school was tough for me because I was pretty much on my own and moved around a lot. I always wanted to go to college but never really thought it would happen. Getting in was one thing but getting things together to go was the next challenge. I was blown away when my counselor said The HERO Program could help with dorm stuff. I knew I needed basics like clothes, blankets and pillows but there was so much else. They helped with everything and thought of things like lamps, a fan and a first aid bag. I’m lucky that everyone believed in me and now I am ready to do what it takes to make a better life for myself.
HERO High School Graduate
The HERO Family Fund allows the flexibility to quickly provide very specific items or services. Examples include:
- A car seat to a mom fleeing domestic violence
- Funds to purchase over-the-counter medication for a sudden illness
- Support to help a family ensure that a birthday does not go unacknowledged while a family is unhoused.
The fund is also used to purchase new items to keep our shelves stocked:
- Underwear and socks
- Gas cards
- Houseware items when a family secures housing
We also use this money to help mitigate repeat or chronic homelessness by helping with past due utility bills, taking care of application fees and offsetting other housing-related costs.
Another fun usage of HERO Family Fund dollars is when we help to pave the way to secondary education for college-bound HERO students – the “little” things are a big deal when it comes to dorm life. A new bathroom caddy, bedding and a good-quality backpack are all a part of a successful start.
The HERO team’s involvement in the school life of students offers a peek into a lot of the behind-the-scenes needs of a family that can be a bridge to progress or lead to a major setback. Together, we can fill in gaps to ensure that those manageable setbacks are fewer and farther between than the steps forward.
Donate Funds
Donate to the HERO Family Fund and know your dollars are directly supporting a family during their times of greatest need.