Today we’d like to introduce you to Maggie House.
Hi Maggie, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’m from Nashville – grew up in Madison! Even though I originally went to school for architecture, I was always interested in affordable housing, and how I could use my skills to contribute to Nashville. After interning with local affordable housing developer Urban Housing Solutions, I was connected by my former supervisor with Rebuilding Together Nashville, and I have been so thrilled to be here. Our work at RTN providing home repairs to older adults is really so special. We work with folks who have lived in Nashville for their entire lives, and many of them have lived in their homes and neighborhoods for 30 years or more. I feel so privileged to get to contribute to people who love their communities so much staying safe and healthy in their homes as they age. When we ask people what they love about their homes and neighborhoods, they always tell us it’s their neighbors and their families who have been there for them and grown with them that make where they live special. Many of our clients have raised their kids and their grandkids in their homes. We get to be a little piece of their story by helping them keep their homes in their family, and it makes me so happy my job is to support this work!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has not always been a smooth road! After graduating with a degree in architecture, I felt a little lost professionally. I felt this big disconnect between what I felt most passionate about – that everyone should have the right to call somewhere home – and what I was doing in my day to day. And even though grad school was a place I learned so much, I still continued to have a lot of questions about how I could put what I was learning into practice, and still be a person with health insurance and enough money to live. I was learning about a lot of really exciting and important work happening, but struggled to see a place for myself in it – where was I needed? What could I do? I continued to feel this way even after graduating and moving back to Nashville. It really wasn’t until I became more involved in advocacy groups like Stand Up Nashville and found my position at RTN that I really felt like I had found places I could be helpful and that what I was doing full-time really filled me up.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Rebuilding Together Nashville?
Rebuilding Together Nashville preserves affordable housing in Nashville through providing critical home repairs to primarily older adults. We combine skilled construction, deep community commitment, and holistic care so longtime residents stay in the places they love and entire communities remain safe, vibrant, and affordable. It really is this intentional, holistic approach to caring for the homeowners we serve that I would say sets us apart. We operate using a community approach, which means we commit to specific neighborhoods for years at a time, partnering with residents to make sure our work reflects each area’s history, strengths and goals. By making existing homes throughout a neighborhood safer, we can contribute to longtime Nashville families staying rooted and help cultivate resilient communities. And because a safe home is only part of the equation, we connect homeowners with wraparound supports — from resource fairs to fresh‑food access — so they have what they need to thrive. We also love partnering with corporate and civic groups to organize sponsored Build Days. By getting volunteers out to our project sites, we get to build community while supporting our contracting professionals who perform the bulk of our work by helping them save time and money on projects.
Are there any books, apps, podcasts or blogs that help you do your best?
Work-wise, a couple of books have really shaped the way I think about my work and the urgency I feel around the work we do preserving affordable homeownership. The Color of Law by Richard Rothstein and Evicted by Matthew Desmond are both really fundamental works taking a hard look at housing in the United States. Podcast-wise, it’s really simple but listening to Nashvillager helps me stay grounded in the goings-on in Nash, from news to local music!
Personally, I like to listening to music and podcasts that help me take life a little less seriously and find joy in my day to day. I listen to WNXP in the car because it makes me really happy feeling connected to local artists, and I love my celebrity gossip podcast Who? Weekly which usually gives me a good run down of pop culture shenanigans.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://rtnashville.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rtnashville615/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RebuildingTogetherNashville/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/1675644/admin/dashboard/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@RTNashville95?app=desktop
