Urban Housing Solutions (UHS) began in 1991 when our founder, Rusty Lawrence, organized a group of funders and social service experts to acquire a motel property and convert it to housing for chronically homeless individuals. Over the next 20 years, UHS focused on renovating old properties into housing for other populations with special housing needs - including those living with HIV/AIDS, individuals needing mental health support, those struggling with addiction, deaf and hard of hearing adults, and other vulnerable individuals and families. In these partnerships, UHS has provided the “hardware” of housing through its development/property management activities and our team of service coordinators connect residents to the “software” of supportive services provided by other nonprofits and social service agencies. As the affordable housing crisis has grown, UHS has expanded to provide safe, healthy, achievable "workforce" housing for everyday Nashvillians and their families. Working with our public and private partners, UHS provides affordable homes in supportive communities across greater Nashville.
We are working to consistently improve our sustainability practices, but our current work includes preservation of existing affordable housing, green building, sustainable land use (native planting, flood mitigation, etc.), and a community garden pilot program.