MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WKRN) — More resources are coming to Murfreesboro to serve the unhoused population, as the non-profit The Journey Home gears up for its grand reopening.

The Journey Home’s executive director, Scott Foster, said that as Murfreesboro's overall population grows, the city's unhoused population grows, too. According to United Way, 367 people were experiencing homelessness in Rutherford County when they conducted their 2024 point-in-time count.

"We do find that our needs are becoming more acute," Foster told News 2. "We have more people on the streets that are older, senior adults [and] more that are disabled with persistent mental illness."

After a three-year campaign, The Journey Home raised $6.2 million to build their brand new 20,000-square-foot community resource center. The center includes exam rooms and counseling rooms where people can meet with another Murfreesboro-based nonprofit, Volunteer Behavioral Health.

Volunteer Behavioral Health also has staff embedded with local law enforcement during patrols.

"They are what we call a first response, or initial response, because they're actually in the unit with the officer,” Nathan Miller, Senior Vice President of Operations at Volunteer Behavioral Health, told News 2.

As the two nonprofits work to serve Murfreesboro's existing population, the city has focused on shaping legislation to help reduce the number of people experiencing homelessness in Murfreesboro.

"People want safety in their community, and that will continue to be a number one priority for Murfreesboro: to make sure that it's a safe community," Murfreesboro Mayor Shane McFarland told News 2. "With that — that's discussions on homelessness, that's discussions on traffic and transportation — so all of those things mesh together and we're working on that."

The Journey Home will host their grand reopening and ribbon cutting for their new facility on Tuesday, Oct. 21 from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. at 1207 Old Salem Highway.

News Source : https://www.wkrn.com/news/local-news/murfreesboro/nonprofit-reopen-expanding-services-homeless-population/