Philanthropy + Workforce Upskilling = Affordable Homes
The Housing Hub’s newest two-bedroom, one-bathroom cottage will have 864 sq ft of living space, but its actual footprint will be much larger. That’s because the organization has set out to prove it can build an affordable home without any government subsidies.
Martha Pierce, Executive Director, Mountain T.O.P. (TN)
Through volunteer-driven home repair efforts across Tennessee’s Cumberland Plateau, Martha Pierce, Executive Director of Mountain T.O.P., knows firsthand how housing improvements can change lives.
Krystal Gibbons, Executive Director, Tennessee Community Assistance Corporation (TN)
Tennessee Community Assistance Corporation (TCAC) is helping families across Tennessee achieve homeownership and long-term stability.
Sherry Trent, CEO & Kip Parks, Director of Lending Operations, Eastern Eight CDC (TN)
Eastern Eight Community Development is expanding access to safe, affordable housing across Upper East Tennessee and into Bristol, Virginia—creating pathways to stability for low-income, elderly, and disabled individuals and families.
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.
Jackie Mayo, President & CEO, HomeSource East Tennessee (TN)
HomeSource east tennessee is working to create more sustainable housing across 13 counties in Eastern Tennessee and helping people with modest incomes to stay and thrive in the region.
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.
THREADS OF STABILITY
James McClain came to Tennessee’s Loudon County Habitat for Humanity in January 2023, hoping to move from a poorly maintained one-bedroom apartment to a new home — one that he would own after providing 250 hours of sweat equity helping Habitat staff and volunteers with construction.