SITE OVERVIEW ♦ NASHVILLE | TENNESSEE
Target Area: Cayce Place• Population: 2,000
Fiscal Agent: Martha O’Bryan Center
Research Partner: Vanderbilt University Department of Human and Organizational Development
Crime Concerns: Domestic violence, drug-related violence, and violent crime
BCJI Funding Year: 2013 Planning & Implementation
Neighborhood Profile
The James A. Cayce Homes for Good community – known as Cayce Place – is the largest and oldest public housing development in Nashville. It is the location of the BCJI effort entitled the Nashville Force for Good Project, as well as the Nashville Promise Neighborhood. This attention on the community stems in part from the challenges posed by a 21 percent unemployment rate, a median annual income of about $10,000, and 72 percent of households living in poverty. Additionally, 34 percent of adults do not have a high school diploma and 50 percent of households are headed by a single parent. A number of Metropolitan Nashville Police Department (MNPD) initiatives focused on Cayce Place have contributed to declines in robberies, larcenies, and vehicle thefts in recent years. However, the Cayce community continues to struggle with domestic and interpersonal violence and aggravated and simple assaults, warranting the attention of BCJI analysis and cross-sector coordination.
Planning Process
The Nashville Force for Good (NFFG) Project, led by the Martha O’Bryan Center, began examining crime trends and environmental conditions of Cayce Place under BCJI in 2013 with the goal of deepening collective understanding of needs, crime drivers and available resources. Through analysis of available data supplemented by surveys of residents about crime and perceptions of neighborhood safety, the team, working with research partners at Vanderbilt University, confirmed hot spots and patterns of interpersonal violence. They also uncovered a significant and unexpected finding about service access. While all of the types of needed services are available within or adjacent to the target area to a degree, the people who need them most – particularly those experiencing interpersonal violence – are for the most part not accessing them. For example, while 99.4% of residents experiencing interpersonal violence identified needing mental health services, only 7.1% had accessed these services. The BCJI planning team examined these findings and determined that lack of hope and trauma may be a significant factor influencing people’s willingness to access services to change the trajectory of their lives and stabilize the community at large.
Implementation Strategies
Starting in late 2014, the Nashville team embarked on BCJI implementation, organizing much of their work around a priority to create a system of services and experiences at the Martha O’Bryan Center that is trauma-informed. In addition to infusing all programming with the principles and practices proven to support people who have experienced trauma, the BCJI team also launched specific interventions including:
- Prevention and early intervention work with youth in schools to prevent violent behaviors and encourage positive academic achievement and social development.
- Parent training and family support services to prevent and address destructive behaviors such as truancy, alcohol and drug use, gang involvement and violence.
- Grassroots community engagement including work with youth to promote community-police problem-solving to reduce violence and support cohesion.
- Therapeutic care for victims of violence that taps the resources of multiple BCJI partners.
In Summer 2015, the Martha O’Bryan Center implemented a notable initiative called the Summer Social Justice Institute. This six week certification program provided young adults with a comprehensive understanding of urban poverty in the South, examining its root causes, creating potential solutions, and developing valuable personal skills. This gave students information and resources for obtaining careers in youth development, education, public health and law & public policy, while also preparing them to become valuable resources for their communities.
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