June is Homeownership Month and across the Fahe Network our Members our celebrating with their local communities and partners. These celebrations take a variety of forms including community clean up, home rehab and repair, and even unveiling new homes. These events highlight and educate on the importance of homeownership and the transformative power it can have on homeowners and communities. Many of these activities are in conjunction with NeighborWorks Week.
June 1 – HomeSource east tennessee, Knoxville, Tn – HomeSource east tennessee held a groundbreaking ceremony for The Village at Holston, an innovative rental community for senior households and households with disabilities as well as supportive living homes. HomeSource partnered with TennCare, City of Knoxville, and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
June 1,2,5 – Community Action Partnership of North Alabama (The Partnership), Decatur, AL – The Partnership performed a street makeover with participating homeowners at the 1800-1900 block of Enolam Boulevard SE in Decatur with house painting, landscaping, and basic home maintenance. This was followed by a celebration to recognize local officials, partners, and volunteers for their hard work and dedication to improving neighborhoods.
June 2nd – Partnership Housing, Owsley County, KY – Partnership Housing held an open house and ribbon cutting for their newest homeowner, Ms. Bartlett. When Ms. Bartlett approached Partnership housing she was afraid that her age (70) would prevent her from getting a home. With the help of Partnership Housing and Ms. Bartlett’s family, she was able to have a new home built that will provide increased safety, security, and a healthy environment.
Community members, Ms. Bartlett’s family, and various partners from across the region showed up to offer support. Among them included former judge and current Partnership Housing Chairman, Cale Turner; USDA RD Area Director, Barry Turner; Department for Local Government Commissioner, Sandra Dunahoo; Field Representative for Congressman Hal Rogers, Andrea Begley; Assistant Vice President of Federal Home Loan Bank of Cincinnati, Judy Rose; Regional Field Representative for Senator Rand Paul, Regena Triplett Jones; and Senior VP of Membership for Fahe, Vonda Poynter.
June 5th- Southern Appalachian Labor Schools (SALS), Oak Hill, WV – SALS was joined by USDA staff from WV and DC including Barry Ramsey, the Direct Loan Division Director of Single Family Housing. The event included visiting a rehabilitated home in the Oak Hill area.
June 8, 10th – Chattanooga Neighborhood Enterprises (CNE), Chattanooga, TN – CNE hosted a happy hour to answer questions from prospective homeowners as well as a question and answer session called “Are You Ready to Buy a Home”? The purpose of both sessions was to help educate and ease the stress around homeownership.
June 29th – Crossville Housing Authority, Crossville, TN – On June 29th, the Crossville Housing Authority is holding the official groundbreaking ceremony for The Grove, their newest self-help housing community. Special guests include the Cookeville Regional RD office, the Nashville RD office, and Deputy Administrator for all of USDA Rural Development’s Single Family Housing loan and grant programs, Joyce Allen.