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For Immediate Release
February 21, 2001
Housing Partnership Launches Grant Awards Program
Nashville, TN — The Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities (DMHDD) and the Tennessee Housing Development Agency (THDA) and Housing and Urban Development (HUD) have partnered to award $4.5 million to provide housing for people with mental illness.
The announcement was made in a joint press conference at 10:00 on Wednesday, February 21 at the War Memorial Auditorium, by TDMHDD Commissioner Elisabeth Rukeyser and THDA Executive Director Janice Myrick.
These grants are the result of the Creating Homes Initiative (CHI), and innovative TDMHDD initiative-proposing to create 2005 new permanent housing options statewide for persons with mental illness by the year 2005. "One of my major priorities, as Commissioner is to the create and expand a full continuum of affordable, safe and appropriate housing for people with mental illness. I see it as an integral component to achieving and maintaining good mental health. I created the Office of Housing, Planning an Development to direct and coordinate our efforts, said Rukeyser." CHI was developed and implemented by Marie Williams, Director of TDMHDD, Office of Housing, Planning and Development.
Partnering with local communities, TDMHDD and THDA will award local grants in Memphis, Nashville, Jackson and Chattanooga over the next three weeks. Presentations to the Statewide Mental Health Housing providers, were made by Marie Williams. A list of grantees and amounts is attached.
Local CHI community task forces—each with representatives from key community agencies including faith based, nonprofit, foundations, architects and homebuilders, advocacy groups, service providers, realtors and federal, state and local agencies concerned with housing development—work with the state agencies in meeting CHI goals.
GRANTEES
| Nashville Area Grantees | ANNOUNCED AMOUNT OF GRANT |
| Park Center Foundations Urban Housing Solutions Successful Survivors Centerstone |
$ 404,928 254,462 To be announced 176,795 30,000 |
| Memphis Area Grantees | |
| Southeast Mental Health Center Helping CDC Foundations |
$ 323,172 100,000 841,439 |
| Jackson Grantee | |
| Behavioral Health Initiative | $ 1,181,453 |
| Chattanooga Grantee | |
| AIM Center | $ 323,000 |
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