In Murfreesboro, one long-held city lot is about to do a lot more than sit on the books. The City Council has agreed to transfer a neighboring parcel to homeless services nonprofit The Journey Home for just $1, effectively keeping nearly $180,000 available for direct services instead of locking it up in land.
The council unanimously approved the sale after Mayor Shane McFarland asked members to sign off on conveying the city-owned property, according to the City of Murfreesboro. The city has held the land for roughly 30 to 40 years, and officials said letting it go at a token price would not hurt the municipal budget.
The council’s vote followed a July 9 workshop that listed both an update on The Journey Home and a review of the potential sale, also noted in the City of Murfreesboro. The adjoining property is expected to ease pressure on the site by offering extra parking, more green space and a place for people to wait while they are receiving services.
Executive Director Scott Foster said the nonprofit had already tripled its parking lot when it moved into its current facility, only to discover that demand still outpaced available space. In comments reported by NewsChannel 5 Nashville, Foster said keeping the six-figure purchase price in the bank instead of buried in dirt could help the organization serve more people rather than tying up money in property.
More Than A Parking Fix
The parking crunch is only one symptom of how quickly The Journey Home has scaled up. The nonprofit says it served more than 2,600 people in 1,400 households in 2025, helped stabilize 350 households, prevented 120 evictions and served 55,000 meals with help from more than 900 volunteers, according to The Journey Home.
That growth has been years in the making. The group’s resource center was planned with short-term family housing, a wellness clinic, a community café and an expanded kitchen, a setup that demands breathing room both inside and outside the building. The newly acquired parcel gives the organization a little more elbow room to match its larger mission.
The $1 conveyance also fits neatly into a broader city strategy to support local nonprofits. In March, Murfreesboro announced that its Community Investment Trust would distribute $598,525 to 30 charitable organizations in fiscal year 2027, with The Journey Home landing among the top five recipients, according to the City of Murfreesboro.
On paper, the math is simple: $1 comes into city coffers and nearly $180,000 stays available for services. The tougher work of housing people, preventing evictions and meeting daily needs still falls to The Journey Home and its partners, but this cut-rate land deal removes one very practical obstacle from that mission.
