Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What exactly is a Friendship House?

A: Our model is loosely based on the L’Arche communities started by Canadian Catholic leader Jean Varnier.  He said, “There are three activities that are absolutely vital in the creation of a community.  The first is eating together around the same table.  The second is praying together.  And the third is celebrating together.  By celebrating I mean to laugh, to fool around, to have fun, to give thanks together for life.  When we are laughing together with belly laughs, we are all the same.”   Our Place Nashville has taken these core activities and created our own Friendship House Communities. We place Vanderbilt Divinity School students, other graduate students from Vanderbilt and TSU, and select seniors or working musicians in housing alongside the individuals with IDDs – who we call “friends”. The students and seniors provide support and friendship, and the friends share what it means to live with disability.  In the process, the students’ and seniors’ lives are transformed and the friends exceed all expectations, their own as well as their families’.

Q: Is the Friendship House a house or is it some other type of building?

A: Our Friendship Houses are not typical houses. Each community has either individual apartments or shared living apartments. 

Individual apartments: We have 1BR/studio units – which have a bedroom, bathroom, kitchen and living area. There are groups of apartments together on the same property, with a shared community room that is used by all of the residents. This is where residents have weekly dinner, movie nights, and other gatherings.

Shared living apartments: A shared living arrangement is our most popular model of Friendship House. In this model, each resident has their own unfurnished large room, bathroom and large closet. All residents share a large kitchen and dining room with the other residents. Each house is home to 8 or 10 residents, half of which have a developmental disability and the other half are “housemates”. These houses are very popular because the kitchens and living areas are fully furnished and beautiful – while you still have your private, lockable unit.

Q: How long is your waiting list?

A: We have over 100 “resident friends” on our waiting list for adults with developmental disabilities. While we are building as fast as we can, we do not know the exact timeline that someone joining the waiting list will be offered an apartment. The average time spent on the list is 2-4 years. Many sign up for the waiting list with the understanding that their loved one is not quite ready now, but will hopefully be ready when the time comes. If you think you are ready to put your loved one our waiting list, you can do so here!

Q: Who can qualify to live in a Friendship House?  

A: As long as the applicant has an intellectual and/or developmental disability (IDD), is at least 21-years-old, and works or volunteers outside of the home (for any number of hours), we’d be delighted to talk with you to see if we’d be a good fit. 

Q: Can you paint a picture of a typical resident with intellectual/developmental disabilities?

A: Our friends are on the autism spectrum, have Down syndrome, traumatic brain injury, cerebral palsy, and unspecified intellectual disabilities. Our friends work at places like Vanderbilt Dining, Krispy Kreme, and Publix supermarkets, and they volunteer at places like GiGi’s Playhouse, Saddle Up!, or the Lane Motor Museum. Some were enrolled at Next Steps at Vanderbilt or Lipscomb’s IDEAL program, others got training at the Vocational Rehabilitation Center in Smyrna. Most are TennCare members with Employment and Community First CHOICES (ECF) benefits of a varying nature.

Q: We don’t have a lot of money.  Will we able to afford your rent?

A: Our primary partners – Urban Housing Solutions (www.UrbanHousingSolutions.org) and Woodbine Community Organization (www.WoodbineCommunity.org) -- are Nashville’s largest non-profit providers of affordable housing, so our housing is indeed affordable.  Average monthly rents vary from about $325 to $700 (depending on the apartment) and go directly to the housing partner.  Applicants have to prove their financial eligibility, and in many instances, parents have to co-sign the lease.

Q: Do you accept applications for residents from outside of Nashville?

A: Our Place Nashville exists to serve the greater Nashville area. We rely on residents' families to participate in the circle of support, being able to respond quickly in case of an emergency, and being nearby when the resident is in need of some TLC or extra attention (usually because of a medical issue). For these reasons, our board decided that residents have close family within 50 miles (approximately a one-hour drive) of Nashville, TN.

Q:  Do you give tours of the Friendship Houses?

A: At this time, we are not scheduling private, in-person tours. We previously recorded a virtual open house with video tours of all of the houses currently operating and conversations with friends, students, and older adults who live there. You can watch that here.

Check our events calendar or join our newsletter to be informed when the next “Open House” event might take place.

Q:  Where are your Friendship Houses located?

A: We have four Friendship House communities in South Nashville. Two are in the Wedgewood-Houston area, and two are just past the Zoo. Our newest Friendship House is located North of Nashville near Tristar Skyline Medical Center.

Q: Are there any people who are ineligible to live in a Friendship House?  

A: At the current time, we are unable to provide the supports needed by individuals with more pronounced challenges (e.g., needs help with Activities of Daily Living) or who have anything but mild mental health problems.  Applicants need to be able to live interdependently – with support but without 24/7 supervision.  Residents also need to have a personality that does not mind sharing space with others.

 Q: How do people hear about you?

A: Mostly, people hear about us by word of mouth.  We also have gotten referrals from state agencies such as the Department of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities and the Department of Children’s Services; from the Metro Public Defender’s Office; from Metro Nashville Public Schools; and from other non-profit organizations such as the Tennessee Disability Coalition, the Center for Living and Learning, and the Arc of Davidson County and Greater Nashville.

Q: Are utilities included in the rent? Are there any additional costs?

A: In the apartments, residents will pay their own Nashville Electric Service bill. In the shared houses, utilities are included. Our Place Nashville adds Wifi to every community, which costs $20/month. There is also an additional resident fee that helps us cover our overheads and keep the shared areas beautiful. This fee is $75/month. There are no additional costs beyond those fees.

Q: Where can I learn more about you?

A: There are a number of places you can learn more about us:

Q: Are you a 501(c)3?

A: Yes, we were designated as a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization by the IRS in June 2015.  Our tax ID number is 47-4044537.

Q: Where do you get your funding?

A: We are primarily supported by grants, individual donations and fundraising events. We received a Barnes Housing Trust Fund grant in March 2018 for over $1,000,000 to support our third and fourth Friendship Houses. 

Q: How do I get my son/daughter on the waiting list?

A: The first step is to complete a waiting list request form on our website. Once you’re invited to add your son or daughter to our waiting list, you will need to pay the $150 annual waiting list fee. The waiting list application form can be found here.

Q: How do I go about making a donation to Our Place Nashville?

A: There are a bunch of different ways to donate to Our Place Nashville. To find out more, go to our donate page.