$300,000 for Homeless Nashville Veterans

Original Story Here (The Leaf Chronicle-Clarksville)

Operation Stand Down Nashville, Inc. Receives $300,000 Employment Grant

WASHINGTON — Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis announced the awarding of a $300,000 grant to Operation Stand Down Nashville, Inc. (OSDN) The grant is for one year beginning July 1, 2009 and will assist OSDN working with veterans, especially those who are homeless, seek and maintain employment. Only 98 Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program (HVRP) grants were awarded nationally with OSDN being the only Tennessee organization being chosen to receive the funding. This is the ninth year in a row OSDN has been selected for this competitive grant. OSDN has also been recognized by DOL as a ‘Best Practices' organization for its success helping veterans find and maintain employment. Each year grantees are selected based on their past performance.

OSDN's grant is part of $25 million in grants nationwide awarded by DOL. "This funding will help veterans across the country access the resources they need to find good jobs and build a bright future for themselves and their families," said Secretary Solis. DOL's HVRP is recognized as an extraordinarily efficient and effective program, and is the only federal program that focuses exclusively on employment of veterans who are homeless.

Bill Burleigh, Executive Director stated:”OSDN is very proud that we have continued to earn the trust of the US Dept of Labor for this grant. Veterans want to work. In addition to the grant from US Dept of Labor, we are privileged to be working with so many other organizations who sincerely want to help those who have served our country.” Operation Stand Down Nashville, Inc. is the primary nonprofit resource for veterans in Middle Tennessee providing life changing social services including transitional housing or referrals, employment readiness training and placement assistance and coordination of the activities of other agencies in the delivery of such services.

Learn more about Operation Stand Down Nashville at: www.osdnashville.org. More information on the Department of Labor's unemployment and re-employment programs for veterans can be found at www.dol.gov/vets.

www.osdnashville.org, 1101 Edgehill Avenue, Suite 1000, Nashville, TN 37203

Contact person is: William J. Burleigh, Executive Director, (615) 321-3919,E-Mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Original Story Here (The Leaf Chronicle-Clarksville)

"Sometimes I wonder if we shall ever grow up in our politics and say definite things which mean something, or whether we shall always go on using generalities to which everyone can subscribe, and which mean very little."

Eleanor Roosevelt

Who we are.
We area group of individuals who have been brought together by our common desire to apply ourselves and our resources to the needs of the homeless.

We come from diverse cultural and social backgrounds. We are professionals, we are tradesmen, we are office workers, we are homeless, we are businessmen and women, we are musicians, we are counsellors. We are one in our belief that "justice for all" should apply to the poor first, else we as a nation have little to boast of, in either our republic's values, the "American Dream" we espouse, or our own individual integrity.

What we do.
Our first mission.
We apply ourselves to the homeless of Nashville wherever we find them. We feed them, clothe them, house them, educate them, find them employment, provide them with a secure mailing address, assist them in obtaining ID's necessary for employment, and more, as far as resources permit, and regardless of race, religion or culture.

Our second mission.
We act to network between the many varied organizations involved in matching Nashville's homeless with essential services. Rather than try to reinvent the wheel, we believe that we should support facilities and services already operating successfully.

We believe...
- that everyone should have a decent place to live, something meaningful to do, a dream to pursue, and good health to enjoy them.

We are committed to...

- communicate the true worth and potential of every individual;
- donate the basic necessities of life to all of our clients;
- create an environment in which our clients can become valued members of society, while raising awareness for the reasons for their plight;
- demonstrate the value of each individual human spirit;
- co-ordinate with other services already existing for the benefit of our clients;
-encourage these values in others through the integrity of our actions;

Finances:
Waystations solicits no donations or funding, from any source whatsoever.
It is supported on a purely voluntary basis by the various organizations with which it networks.

Bob (Hamburger Bob), and Gretchen Lord, of Lords Outreach Ministries have served the homeless in Nashville for many years.

In all their service, they have been examples of humility, generosity and faithfulness.

On Christmas Eve 2008, Gretchen Lord passed away.

We honor her not just as our friend,

but as an ambassador of love to Nashville's homeless and marginalised.

Lords Outreach Ministries.