New Subdivision, Hudson Hills, to Start in West Asheville

,

Neighborhood will honor Warren Haynes’ commitment to Habitat

This July, Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity will begin building a cul-de-sac of 25 single-family Arts & Crafts style homes off Johnston Boulevard in West Asheville. The neighborhood of Green Built NC-certified homes is expected to be complete by the end of 2016.

Asheville Habitat purchased the Johnston Boulevard property in 2009, but only recently received funding to begin infrastructure work. “Our work is both capital and time intensive. We always need to be looking for land at least 3-5 years in advance to ensure we have available building lots for future Habitat homes,” said Lew Kraus, Executive Director.

Thanks to grants and loans from the Asheville Regional Housing Consortium, through the Home Investment Partnerships Program funded by Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and the Buncombe County Affordable Housing Services Program, Habitat was able to recently complete the infrastructure work, including grading, extending water and sewer lines, paving the street and installing sidewalks.

The subdivision name – Hudson Hills – was selected by Warren Haynes and his wife Stefani Scamardo who were offered the naming rights in recognition of their long-standing commitment to Habitat. Proceeds from their annual Warren Haynes Presents: The Christmas Jam now exceeds $1.3 million. The street – Soulshine Court – was also named in their honor. Soulshine is one of Warren’s most popular songs and it resonates with many people.

In addition to this new subdivision, work continues on a 17-house subdivision in Swannanoa and a recently started home on Jeffress Avenue in Shiloh, stretching Habitat’s building program across three quadrants of the county simultaneously.

/by

Building in Honor of Pope Francis

This May, we began construction on The Pope Francis House, the first Habitat house in the nation built in honor of the beloved leader. This house is fully (financially) sponsored by an anonymous donor; local Catholic churches will take the lead in volunteer recruitment. Catholic and non-Catholic volunteers, local and non-local groups, will be invited to participate in the build. This house will become home to the Meadows family.

The Pope Francis House broke ground on May 13th and we raised the first wall on May 21.

To see photos from the wall raising, click here. To see the news coverage on WLOS, click here.

The purpose of this house is threefold:

• To honor Pope Francis for his commitment to social justice and reinvigorating the Catholic Church;
• To provide a unifying, celebratory opportunity for both Catholic and non-Catholic volunteers to work together towards a common goal (as Pope Francis says, “Work confers dignity.”); and
• To further Habitat’s mission of building and preserving homes.

Being built on an infill lot on Jeffress Avenue in Shiloh, the Pope Francis House is just around the corner from the Shiloh Community Garden, where Habitat helped build a garden shed and raised beds in 2013. Habitat also completed a number of Home Repair projects in the Shiloh community in the last few years and starting in 2016, ten new Habitat houses will be built just up the road off Taft Avenue.

“It is our hope, and that of the donor, that this project will serve as a model for other Habitat affiliates to partner with local Catholic churches and build in honor of Pope Francis,” said Lew Kraus, Executive Director of Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity.

Interested in bringing a group to volunteer on this house? Please contact Stephanie.

/by

Habitat Welcomes New Home Repair Manager

, ,

We are pleased to welcome Hugh Lipham as Home Repair Manager. In this new position, Lipham will coordinate the day-to-day Construction Services operations of the Home Repair program including: inspection, scope of work, pricing, scheduling, project planning, subcontractor coordination and acceptance.

Lipham comes to Habitat from The Housing Assistance Corporation in Hendersonville, where he worked as Director of Residential Development for more than seven years. Having managed affordable single-family and multi-family housing development activities for that agency, he brings a wealth of experience in affordable housing. Prior, Hugh served as a field coordinator of the very highly regarded emergency home repair program at The Appalachia Service Project. Hugh is also a licensed general contractor in North Carolina and has spent time in management with a family-owned business.

Asheville Area Habitat was one of the first Habitat affiliates to introduce Neighborhood Revitalization (Home Repair) as an extension of its new house construction program in 2009. This expansion of housing services was part of Asheville Habitat’s Building a Way Home campaign to triple the number of families served by 2015. Since 2010, the affiliate has completed more than 70 home repair projects in Buncombe County, ranging in scope from repairing walkways and improving accessibility, to replacing roofs and upgrading heating systems.

Bringing significant knowledge and experience, Lipham is a welcome addition to AAHH as the affiliate works to expand its home repair program in the coming years.

/by

Asheville Area Habitat Seeks to Acquire Land

,

Building a Way Home is a $5 million capacity building campaign that enables Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity to triple the number of families served by 2015. The $4.2M raised to-date through this campaign has allowed us to grow our ReStore, expand our services to include a Home Repair program, and build houses with families in need of safe, decent, and affordable homes.

With the cost of land critical to the affordability of a Habitat home, we are focusing on the acquisition of buildable land – while prices are still relatively low.

How to help us acquire land:
1. Adopt-A-Lot
Help offset the cost of land on a specific home in a Habitat neighborhood with a sponsorship. An Adopt-A-Lot sponsorship is $10,000 and donors receive sponsorship benefits including a listing on the lot and neighborhood sign during construction, updates on the family as they progress towards homeownership, and invitations to special events.

2. Land Challenge Grant
Designate your gift for the purchase of land, and it will be matched dollar for dollar by a local foundation (up to $100,000).

3. Land Donations
A gift of residential property helps to ensure the affordability of a Habitat home. Learn more about what we’re seeking here.

To learn more or to make a donation please contact Kit Rains, Development Director, at 828.210.9365 or email her here.

/by