(gentle music) - [Karen] Made a draft of our new business cards.

What do you think?

- It looks good.

AWAKE Nashville, we are a new grassroots nonprofit that is working to help mitigate displacement and create affordable housing solutions for seniors on fixed incomes while developing wraparound services that keep seniors connected to community.

We got started last year after my grandmother was displaced from her senior living community in Madison, Tennessee.

- She was actually evicted from her senior living community, along with over 25 other seniors in that community.

- Being evicted from my apartment was very hurtful.

As a community, we had been talking about it, because we had been noticing different things.

And then one day, we all got letters in the mail saying we had 30 days to move, which didn't give us enough time, really, to even look for anything.

- Just made history.

- [Danielle] We're very proud of the Norma Jean Upshaw Act, which was developed and created and named after my grandmother.

It will help seniors who are being displaced to have more time.

30 days is just not enough time, and this new legislation will give seniors at least 60-day eviction notice.

- [Norma] How would you feel if someone came to you and told you had 30 days to move, and you had nowhere to go?

- My background is mental health, and so I know the trauma effects that can happen when a community is uprooted, and instability is one of our biggest issues that creates homelessness.

- [Danielle] We want it to create another community with that in mind to build more homes with supportive services.

- We are anticipating breaking ground by the fall of 2024.

We applied for and did receive $3 million in Barnes Fund grant to actually start this independent senior housing development, and we're extremely proud of this endeavor.

It is a part of building more affordable housing, which we definitely need.

(gentle music)