EKY non-profits announce plan to build homes for flood survivors

HAZARD, Ky. (WYMT) - The Foundation for Appalachian Kentucky (FAKY) and Fahe are partnering with the Housing Development Alliance and Homes, Inc. to build 16 new homes for flood survivors.

The 16 homes will be split between Perry, Breathitt, Letcher and Knott Counties. Each county will get four homes in total.

Homes, Inc. will be constructing four homes in Letcher County, while the Housing Development Alliance will be constructing the other 12 in Perry, Breathitt, and Knott Counties.

“We know how to do this. We’ve been implementing a smart affordable housing program across the region for decades,” said FAKY CEO Gerry Roll. “Now, we are coming together as a community to build these next 16 homes and to challenge the governor and our legislature to step up and allocate the funding we need for the next 1,600, because housing can’t wait.”

The housing plan, known as “Higher Ground,” will be supported by a $50,000 investment from Fahe and $1.23 million from the Foundation for Appalachian Kentucky.

Officials in the partnership say the homes will be specifically constructed as followed:

· Built out of the flood plain and out of flood-prone areas

· Modest in size but spacious enough to provide a high quality of life

· Modest in design but built with enough amenities and “curb appeal” to be an asset for the community

· Universally designed to allow for aging-in-place

· Highly energy efficient to enhance affordability

· Well-built and designed to be low maintenance

· A means of building wealth for the homeowner in the form of equity

· A boom to the local economy by increasing the tax base in communities where homes have been destroyed.

“We want this plan to benefit the local community in as many ways as possible,” said HDA Executive Director Scott McReynolds. “One of those benefits will be to the local economy. Materials will be purchased from local businesses in the flood-impacted areas, and the homes are being built by carpenters and local subcontractors employed by HDA and HOMES.”

Flood survivors in Breathitt, Knott, and Perry counties who are interested in purchasing one of the new homes can apply online at hdahome.org/get-started/. For questions about the homes, call the HDA office at 606-436-0497 or email rebekah@hdahome.org.

For flood survivors in Letcher County who are interested in owning a new home, contact HOMES, Inc. at 606-632-1717.