Nourishing The Community Podcast · STP Productionss

Kristen Swann - United Way of Rutherford and Cannon Counties

·35 min·2 clips

A family of four in Rutherford County may need almost $100,000 a year to live securely.

1. Nourishing The Community Podcast speaks with Kristen Swann about United Way of Rutherford and Cannon Counties and the local issues driving its work. 2. Kristen Swann is a United Way staff member of nine years, and Norman Hanks and LaDonna Parham host the discussion. 3. The episode asks what United Way is doing about housing, ALICE, mental health, substance abuse, and early childhood education in Rutherford County. 4. Kristen says United Way moved beyond a traditional model of raising money and giving grants to other nonprofits. 5. She says the organization now also oversees internal programs and uses community meetings and surveys from 2019 to identify priorities. 6. Kristen names affordable housing, financial stability, economic mobility, mental health, substance abuse, and early childhood education as the main focus areas. 7. She says ALICE stands for “asset limited income constrained employment” and is meant to describe the working poor. 8. Kristen says almost half of Rutherford County sits at or below the ALICE threshold, which is based on the true cost of living. 9. She says a family of four may need about $75,000 to live there and almost $100,000 to be stable and save. 10. Kristen points listeners to unitedforalice.org, where users can check stability budgets, survival budgets, zip code data, and a new economic viability dashboard. 11. She says the dashboard shows local housing cost burden and asks people to compare Smyrna, La Vergne, and Murfreesboro. 12. Kristen says the county went from 73% not cost-burdened to 53% not cost-burdened between 2020 and 2021. 13. She argues that housing, wages, childcare, and savings are all connected, so no single organization can solve the problem alone. 14. Kristen uses payday loans as an example of a crisis-driven decision that is often not a real choice. 15. She says United Way’s mental health and substance abuse work is a major investment area and points to anxiety medication as a common prescription in a discount program. 16. She and Norman discuss co-locating services, wraparound support, and long-term case management for people in crisis. 17. The tone is practical and collaborative, with Kristen answering direct questions and moving between data, examples, and service strategies. 18. The format is an interview with back-and-forth discussion, community examples, and repeated references to local partnerships. 19. Best for people interested in Rutherford County nonprofits, housing data, and family support services. 20. Less useful for listeners wanting entertainment or a fast-paced narrative.

As heard by us

A local civic discussion about United Way's shift from funding alone to broader community service.

The discussion tracks how United Way has moved beyond simply collecting money for other nonprofits and into a wider role that also includes its own programs and coordination work.

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Why you'd press play

If you want a grounded map of how United Way is working now.

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