A Tennessee immigrant rights group is breaking ground on a new headquarters this weekend, and its location — in Antioch — says a lot about where Nashville’s new immigrants are living.
When Stephanie Teatro and her team at the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition were looking to build a new home, they first pulled data from Metro Schools — to see where the English-language learners were enrolled.
“It was clear that down in Antioch was where the highest concentration of families were,” she says. “And we knew that’s where we wanted to be.”
What’s more, a recent study of where local nonprofits are serving residents revealed that almost none have a presence in Antioch. So on Saturday TIRRC is breaking ground on the new building. They estimate it will be completed by the spring of 2020 and will cost $2.5 million, more than half of which has already been raised.
As well as offering more office space, green space and gathering places, the new headquarters will also have a legal services suite, allowing TIRRC to expand its legal team.
Correction: An earlier version of this story misstated when the building would open. This post has been updated.
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