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: Friendship House is a misnomer as our houses are not all a typical house. Our first community, Divinity Friendship House at Vanderbilt, is an apartment building with four two-bedroom apartments and four one-bedroom apartments. It accommodates four friends, and up to eight students. The second community is made up of two apartment buildings facing each other over a courtyard. It is made up of 20 one-bedroom apartments and accommodates 20 people. Our third Friendship House Community, opened in Summer 2019. It is a three-story duplex, that accommodates 20 people: half of whom are friends and the other half are housemates (including students, young professionals, and older adults). Each side has 10 bedroom/bathroom suites with shared kitchens, living area and laundry facilities. Our fourth Friendship House Community opened in Summer of 2020 and is two one-story ranch houses providing a shared living experience for 16 people- eight friends and eight housemates. Our fifth Friendship House Community opened in 2024, and consists of 4 houses, each being home to five friends and five housemates. The SIXTH Friendship House Community is scheduled to open in 2025. Every community has a resident director to help facilitate community, and each community is also assigned a Resident Support Specialist who can make sure that those in the house are getting the outside services and supports that they need to be independent.

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 on 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: Our first two Friendship Houses are in the south Nashville neighborhood of Chestnut Hill, adjacent to Wedgewood-Houston. The third house is less than 2 miles away in the Woodycrest neighborhood. Our fourth and fifth Friendship House are also in South Nashville just past the Zoo.

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: You can mail a check to 749 Georgetown Drive, Nashville, TN 37205 or you can go to our website at www.OurPlaceNashville.org and click on the donate tab.  You can make a one-time or recurring donation via PayPal, Venmo or credit card.