Residents of Eastern Kentucky flood impacted counties     

Keys That Unlock Tomorrow 

A single mother of three, Colley had been living in an overcrowded home with her ex-husband’s family, her children sleeping on the sofa as she struggled to provide a safe place for them. Affordable housing felt out of reach, and past financial setbacks during a difficult divorce had left her credit damaged, making homeownership seem impossible.

A Home for Christmas

When Chassidy Gorrell’s marriage abruptly ended, she and her three children were cast into a harsh and unsettled reality. With nowhere to turn and nothing to call their own, Gorrell searched for affordable housing and a place to call home.

Finding a Way

Denise Franklin lived more than 30 years in subsidized housing and then, in her parents’ home with her daughter. Now she works as a nurse and owns her own home thanks to Beyond Housing, the redevelopment and housing authority of Bristol, Virginia.

A Room of His Own

Kalynn Kirchoff had some major bumps in the road on her journey to home ownership. In 2020, she was diagnosed with melanoma cancer. In 2022, the apartment she and her son, Calan, lived in flooded.

Room for Family

When Brooke Shannon and her husband moved to Gatlinburg to open an artist shop, they first lived in a small attached apartment in the bustling downtown without a full kitchen. Soon after starting their search to buy a house, they had a firm deadline they wanted to meet: Brooke was pregnant and they were determined to welcome their son into a new home.

New Foundations

A man in a tan jacket and glasses stands smiling in front of a construction site on a sunny day, with mountains and newly built homes in the background.

Bill Sizemore’s 100-year-old house filled with 18 feet of water in the July 2022 Eastern Kentucky floods. The foundation completely washed away and the structure was demolished just days later. Finding a rental took months. Bill wrestled with his next steps, not knowing what he would be able to afford. HOMES, Inc., made owning a new home possible.

More Than an Apartment

A man and woman sit close together on a large rock in a wooded area, both wearing matching purple “Walk for Recovery” t-shirts and participant badges.

Mary Smith and her family had an on-going housing challenge because of a lack of affordable options and her seven years in active addiction. With the help of Garrett County Community Action Committee, she now has an apartment and is turning her life around.

Rising Above

A man with a long white beard and a black cap smiles softly while standing inside a house under construction. Wooden framing surrounds him, and natural light filters through the unfinished walls.

Farmer Baker has felt lost since the devastating 2022 floods in Eastern Kentucky. That July night, a wall of water swept through his holler in Lower River Caney, tragically killing his wife and washing away their home. For two years after, he has lived nearby with his oldest son.