Catholic Charities Philosophy
One-stop Shop
A single locations for families and individuals to find services
Multi-faceted
Help in a short-term crisis and provide long-term support to enrich clients' lives
Central locations
Family resource centers are centrally located so they are easy to find and visit.
About Family Resource Centers
Individuals and families in need often have to call or visit multiple agencies to get the help they need. Finding the right help is time consuming, frustrating, and often confusing.
Family resources centers solve this problem. In one place, clients can find the services and expert advice to navigate a short-term crisis and find long-term support to enrich their lives.
Catholic Charities has operated family resource centers for more than 20 years. Our flagship family resource center is Catholic Charities at C. E. McGruder in North Nashville. We also have the Catholic Charities Family Resource Center at Casa Azafrán in South Nashville.
In 2024, Catholic Charities will open its four hub location, in Cookeville. The family resource center will be part of the County Expansion program.
Services and expertise
Each Catholic Charities family resource center focuses on the specific needs of residents living in close proximity. Typical community risk factors include poverty, hunger, homelessness, abuse, neglect, poor health, evictions, mental illness, substance abuse and/or family conflict.
Generally speaking, each center offers:
- Basic Needs
- Emergency assistance to help pay overdue rent, utilities, and mortgage
- Food assistance
- Financial literacy
- Housing stability services
- Individual and family therapy
- Job training or career advancement
The specific services depend largely on the community’s needs.
A community hub
Partnerships are a enormous part of a family resource center’s success. Catholic Charities often provides space for other organizations to operate out of its locations so residents can meet multiple professionals in a single trip.
Family resource centers also serve as local hub of community activity and meetings. They provide a space where residents can collaborate to create a promising future by leading the development of community planning that best fits their unique needs to drive their future successes.
Tennessee Serves Neighbors will expand Catholic Charities, Diocese of Nashville’s successful Family Resources Center model over the next two years to more counties that are part of the Diocese of Nashville.
Georresha first came to our Family Resource Center in December 2023, seeking assistance with food. She had recently moved to Tennessee from another state, leaving behind an abusive relationship to protect herself and her children. At the time, she was working as a DoorDash driver to make ends meet and had just found a place […]
One year ago, Blue was homeless and uncertain about his future. He felt lost, weighed down by a cloud of uncertainty, and the road ahead seemed impossible. Like many facing similar struggles, he came to Catholic Charities’ Family Resource Center at C.E. McGruder looking for food. But what he found was far more than just […]
From Judy K. Orr, Executive Director: As our new fiscal year began last month, we simultaneously embraced a bold, new vision for our work: “By 2029, Catholic Charities will be the leader in Middle Tennessee in assisting people in need to achieve persistent self-reliance.” This vision is at the heart of our new five-year strategic plan, […]