For Joy Flores and Krystle Knight, volunteering isn’t just about meeting immediate needs—it’s about building relationships that lead to lasting change.
Joy, who has spent more than two decades working in homeless services, joined the Nashville Rescue Mission staff two and a half years ago after relocating from Los Angeles. After years working near Skid Row—especially during the strain of COVID—Joy and her family reevaluated what they needed for the future. When a role opened in Nashville that aligned with her experience and passion, she knew it was the right move.
What drives Joy’s work is a belief that homelessness affects the whole person. “If you take a broken person and only provide housing,” she explained, “you’re still dealing with brokenness if you don’t address the root causes.” That’s why Nashville Rescue Mission focuses on comprehensive care—addressing physical, emotional, mental, spiritual, and social needs through structured programs, accountability, and community.
Krystle’s story reflects the power of that approach. Once a participant in the women’s Life Recovery Program, she now works on staff, mentoring women who are facing the same struggles she once did. She spoke openly about addiction as a coping mechanism for unresolved trauma and described recovery as a daily, intentional choice. Today, she calls her work “an absolute blessing.”
Through the Mission’s programs, Krystle has seen women earn GEDs, regain custody of their children, secure employment, move into stable housing, and walk across the stage at graduation—milestones that once felt impossible. Some graduates even return as staff members, continuing the cycle of mentorship and support that helped them heal.
For volunteers, Joy emphasized an important distinction: food, clothing, and shelter are essential—but they are tools, not the end goal. Real impact happens when volunteers help guide people inside the Mission, where they can access recovery programs, job training, document recovery, credit repair, and long-term support. “If we lead with relationship,” Joy said, “we can move people toward sustainability.”
There is no single reason someone becomes homeless—and no single path forward. That’s why volunteers who show up consistently to build trust and understand the bigger picture are so vital.
At Nashville Rescue Mission, volunteering isn’t just about helping someone through the day. It’s about walking with them as they rebuild their life.
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