Impact Stories
Everyone deserves a safe, affordable place to call home. The stories of the people we serve prove what’s possible when communities come together to create opportunity. From first-time homebuyers overcoming financial barriers to seniors gaining the security to age in place, these real-life experiences highlight the transformational power of housing. Each impact story is a testament to resilience. To hope. Click below to explore how lives are being changed every day.
New Foundations
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.
TENNESSEE MAN MOVES INTO 125TH HOUSE BUILT BY LOUDON COUNTY HABITAT FOR HUMANITY
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.