Renewal House Helps More Women and Children in New Space

Since 1996, Renewal House has helped thousands of women recover from addiction while also providing them with housing and a place to raise their children. This year, the nonprofit continues its mission at a brand-new facility that doubles its capacity and offers new resources and opportunities.

The new space at 3600 Clarksville Pike includes 34 two-bedroom apartment units, a playground and office space for staff. The old location next door is undergoing repairs and will be converted into 17 units of permanent housing.

CEO Pamela Sessions says Renewal House’s mission has four pillars: working with women to get sober, improving their parenting skills, helping them find a vocation or job, and supporting their search for stable housing.

Clients who enter Renewal House typically stay in the apartments for about six months as part of the Family Residential Program, and during that time they are eligible to find a job and get training from the Renewal House staff. Extended stays are possible for women who need additional time as well. The apartments come stocked with new appliances, furniture and supplies for the women and their children.

Sessions has a career in social work and says she “never planned to be a CEO.” But she says her six years working at Renewal House have been among the most rewarding jobs she ever had. 

“I see people come in at the worst time in their lives and leave in the best place that they have been, and that’s pretty amazing,” Sessions says.

After getting treatment at Renewal House, clients can move into recovery housing at a different location owned by the nonprofit, paying $450 a month for a two-bedroom apartment.

The new space already includes a playroom with an adjoining observation space so social workers and staff can offer feedback and insight to mothers about interacting with their children. Sessions says keeping families together is “critical” — and it’s a unique part of the nonprofit’s work.

One former client — who asks to be identified as “Ann” to protect her identity — attests to the help she received at Renewal House.

“I’ve been clean one year, two months and 24 days, and I feel like I can go out in the world now because I have all the tools from the program,” Ann says. Ann was in Renewal House’s residential treatment for a year at the old space, and is currently renting a unit in the nonprofit’s recovery housing. While in treatment, Ann found a job and was promoted to a managing position.

She says the biggest lesson she learned was “how to be a mother,” as well as the importance of having sponsors to help her maintain sobriety.

Renewal House was also important for Ann’s 5-year-old son. “He gets to have a mom that he [doesn’t] have to see use drugs or leave him,” she says.

Sessions adds that while Renewal House provided support, Ann helped herself: “She wanted this for her and her son.”

Sessions says 95 percent of the women who enter Renewal House have experienced some type of trauma — including domestic violence, homelessness or human trafficking. But treatment is still tailored to each individual. Some women may focus more on their sobriety, others on job skills or on navigating a case with the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services. 

Nationally, substance abuse and overdoses have increased since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and Nashville was no exception to the trend.

Sessions says the clients who entered Renewal House during the pandemic “are in much more crisis than they were when I started working here six years ago. Their anxiety levels have increased, they’re using more frequently.”

Sessions believes the need for Renewal House’s services won’t soon go away. Fortunately, the nonprofit has allies all over town. “This is a community-based problem, and people are really rallying around us,” she says.

Plaques adorn the walls of the new facility recognizing various donors. Dell donated PCs to the computer lab, and various nonprofits offer supplies and direct assistance. Community partners include Nurses for Newborns, Interfaith Dental, Second Harvest Food Bank and many others. Renewal House is also setting up a salon room so volunteers can host spa nights.

Renewal House has served almost 8,000 women and children since opening in 1996. The construction for the new building cost $7.5 million, and was funded with private donations and a $1.8 million grant from the city’s Barnes Fund Housing Trust. 

The new facility sits on 14 acres, and Sessions is eager to make the most use of that space. Her next big goal is setting up a day care or early learning center to benefit both clients and the broader community.

Renewal House’s biggest fundraising event is its annual Thanksgiving luncheon, which is scheduled to take place on Nov. 2. Visit renewalhouse.org for more information.