State: Tennessee

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

A man stands in front of a house holding up a colorful patchwork quilt, addressing a small group of people gathered outside.

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.

Windows to the Future

A smiling older woman and a man stand outside a house holding a weather alert radio box. The woman wears a beach-themed shirt, and the man wears a "Creative Passion, Inc." T-shirt.

Gloria Wright owns a 50-year-old three-bedroom cement block home that she maintains the best she can on a fixed social security income. But major improvements are beyond her means – like new energy efficient windows to replace the original single pane aluminum frame ones.

Lindy Turner, Executive Director, Clinch-Powell RC&D (TN)

Lindy Turner, a smiling woman with short, light gray hair, wears a green cardigan over a patterned top, standing in front of a soft blue background with abstract mountain shapes.

Clinch-Powell RC&D, under the leadership of Executive Director Lindy Turner, is addressing the housing crisis in Tennessee’s Appalachian counties by offering a comprehensive range of services, including homebuyer counseling, rental assistance, and affordable housing development.