Visions Five Group
		I. Origin and Background The mission of Visions Five Group is to provide affordable housing and to foster economic development primarily in the Davidson County, Tennessee, region. Historically we served the rural counties of Clay, Fentress, Jackson, Overton, Pickett and Putnam, among the most rural and economically distressed in Tennessee. That interest continues, although with a lesser priority. We are shifting our emphasis to serving the minority community in Davidson County and to cooperating more closely with faith based organizations, although we remain a secular organization. Visions Five is certified as a Community Housing Development Organization (CHDO) under HUD guidelines. It is exempt from federal taxation under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Visions Five Group was founded in 1988 as a rural economic development organization serving Clay, Fentress, Jackson, Overton, and Pickett Counties. The organization evolved from the recognition that more can be accomplished by working together and implementing multicounty approaches to economic development than by working alone. The Tennessee Valley Authority through its rural economic development activities encouraged the formation of Visions Five Group acting in concert with the county executives of the five counties being served at that time. The elected county executives comprised the board of directors throughout the first decade life of Visions Five Group. Visions Five founded a separate organization, Visions Five Community Development Corporation as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, chartered May 19, 1994. This organization now has a completely separate board from Visions Five Group. Over its lifetime Visions Five Group has obtained grants and technical assistance totalling a few million dollars from the Tennessee Valley Authority, the U. S. Forest Service, the USDA Rural Development Agency, the Farmers Home Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency, the American Plastics Council, and several other public and private entities. Visions Five Group raised funds for separate organizations in a number of other areas, including law enforcement, education, historical societies, tourism associations, and several private businesses which have become quite successful. This financial and technical assistance funded recycling, solid waste management, industrial parks and buildings and other much needed resources for these rural counties. The organization was also instrumental in funding and constructing a museum building in Pickett County for the memorabilia of Nobel Peace laureate Cordell Hull. Visions Five succeeded in getting the museum designated a Tennessee state park. When TVA reduced its commitment to rural development, Visions Five Group redefined its objectives to focus on becoming increasingly involved in affordable housing. This lead Visions Five Group to form Visions Five CDC, structuring the CDC board of directors so that elected officials were a minority of the membership, permitting the organization to qualify as a CHDO. Subsequent to the formation of Visions Five CDC, Visions Five Group restructured its own board to eliminate the tie to elected county officials and to assure that it meets HUD guidelines for CHDO's. One third of the board seats are now reserved for low income residents. To meet the increasing emphasis being given to faith based and minority organizations in state and federal funding, Visions Five Group has relocated its operations to Davidson County and the corporation has actively sought to partner with African-American and faith based organizations in the Davidson County region " Together We Can" Strategic Plan Site Map E-mail to: visionsfive@yahoo.com