Our firm continues to represent Men of Valor in a pro bono capacity as it equips prisoners to successfully re-enter society. Most recently, our team counseled Men of Valor in its new partnership with Fourth Purpose Foundation in East Tennessee.
Fourth Purpose Foundation, a Knoxville-based criminal justice reform philanthropy, will break ground in early March 2021 on Dogan-Gaither Flats, a development to provide housing, counseling, accountability, work placement, and transitional skills to men returning from incarceration. Men of Valor will provide life skills training, job placement, and long-term housing consultation to the residents of Dogan-Gaither Flats.
Other partners in the Dogan-Gaither Flats development include the City of Knoxville, which will provide $480,000 in funding through the Affordable Rental Development Fund to help keep the rent and services affordable. Pinnacle Financial Partners will provide construction and permanent financing through the Tennessee Housing Development Agency’s Community Investment Tax Credit program.
“Pro bono attorneys from Bass, Berry & Sims have long supported Men of Valor with ongoing counsel for its construction and expansion of services. We are pleased to continue to provide legal support for this new partnership with Fourth Purpose Foundation and extend housing and services for men leaving prison,” said Bass, Berry & Sims’ attorney Mark Mamantov.
Men of Valor is a Middle Tennessee-based nonprofit that works with formerly incarcerated individuals to help with their reintegration into society. Men of Valor owns and manages the Valor Ridge facility in Antioch, Tennessee, where approximately 90 ex-offenders reside during a transition period after leaving prison. Their residents have a recidivism rate of 15% compared to 51% across Tennessee generally.