About the House

TYPE: 4 Bedroom/ 2 Bath

STYLE: Single-level, single family home

HOUSE SIZE: 1,376 square feet

LOCATION: Lot 16, Construction site off Glenn Bridge SE in Arden

CONSTRUCTION START: Tuesday, August 8, 2023

STATUS:

Meet the Future Homeowners

“I imagine pulling into the driveway and seeing our home for the first time, and feeling not
only the weight off my shoulders from the security owning a home provides, but also feeling
pride from the time and effort put into make the dream possible.”
– From Christopher’s application letter

Growing up, future Habitat homeowner Christopher Barker watched his parents work through their retirement years to pay rent and provide for the family. While he was fine living without unnecessary luxuries, he knew that to achieve homeownership and save for retirement in his own adulthood, financial stability would need to be at the forefront of his mind, goals, and actions from the very start.

With this in mind, Christopher spent his early adulthood working multiple jobs through college, and, after graduating, establishing his career and savings. Several years into his career, the unexpected loss of his job led him through financial instability and eventually to his current job at Buncombe County DSS, which he has described as unexpectedly finding his calling. In his role as an Income Maintenance Supervisor, Chris loves meeting people, hearing their stories, and helping members of his community navigate the complex world of financial benefits to secure the assistance that they need.

After regaining his footing on the path to financial security, Chris faced a new unexpected change, in 2021, when his three nephews were placed in his care. While the placement was originally temporary, Chris has been happy to step up and is now in the process of officially adopting the three boys. This new arrangement has left the family of 4 crowded into Chris’s 2-bedroom rental in Black Mountain. While the journey has its challenges, Chris enjoys the liveliness the children have brought into his life and views taking on this responsibility as the obvious choice.

With a lack of affordable 4-bedroom rentals in the area, and with looming rent increases in his tightly packed 2-bedroom, Chris decided that it was time to finally ask for help, something he has given to his family and clientele so freely. By partnering with Habitat, Chris will purchase a 4-bedroom home in Habitat’s new Glenn Bridge neighborhood in Arden. Chris looks forward to working on his future home side-by-side with his future neighbors, and to giving his nephews space of their own, a yard to play in, and a stable foundation from which to grow.

About the Sponsor

Chris’s future home is the 19th Women Build House built in honor of Bethany Williams and Mandy McCullock. The Adopt-a-Lot sponsorship is in memory of Joyce Marie Davis.