Housing Development Alliance

10/05/2026

We're proud to join the 2026 KYOAAC Opioid Symposium in Owensboro, Oct. 5–6! 🏡🔨 Stop by our booth to meet Hope Building Director Shannon Gabbard & find out more about our program - paid, on-the-job construction training that helps men and women in SUD recovery earn a paycheck, college certificates, and a real future while building affordable homes in Eastern Kentucky.

50+ trained • 75% success rate • Nearly every graduate hired.

Come say hi, grab a brochure, and get your Passport Challenge stamp!

In the meantime, be sure to check out our Hope Building success story on Jerry Chaffins, a program graduate who has been a full-time HDA carpenter now for almost 2 years.

https://kyoaac.ky.gov/



https://youtu.be/zm1Fe4cFp9Q?si=rGQqNgK9Ru77-wkW

10/02/2026

🙏💛 Thank You, Brooklyn Presbyterian Church! 💛🙏

This week we had the joy of hosting 11 wonderful volunteers from Brooklyn Presbyterian Church in Michigan! 🔨🏡 (Note: A few volunteers stayed behind to prepare food for the rest.)

This is the group's 5th service trip to Kentucky. Most of their past trips were in Western Kentucky, where they've been helping with ongoing tornado relief. This time they came out to the mountains of Eastern Kentucky, and we're so glad they did! ⛰️

All week, the team has been at Chestnut Ridge in Knott County helping frame and finish homes that will soon belong to local families. Every wall they raised and every finish they added brings a family closer to a safe, affordable place to call home. 🏠✨

A big thank-you as well to Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) -Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, through First Presbyterian Church, Hazard KY, for sending this amazing group our way! 🤝

Brooklyn Presbyterian, thank you for your hard work, your big hearts, and your ongoing commitment to Kentucky. You're welcome back anytime! 💪❤️

📸 Scroll through to see the team in action at Chestnut Ridge!

10/02/2026

🏡🍂 Progress at Chestnut Ridge! 🍂🏡

Things are moving fast at Chestnut Ridge in Knott County, and we're excited to share some progress photos from Phase 2! 📸

🔨 New Homes in Construction: 10 new single-family homes are nearly finished and are getting their final touches! Every one of them will have solar panels ☀️ to help homeowners keep energy costs down.

👉 Want to buy one? All single-family homes for sale at Chestnut Ridge are applied for through Fahe. Call 859-986-2321 (option 3) or email [email protected] to get started.

🤝 HDA is one of several builders at Chestnut Ridge. In Phase 2, our friends at H.O.M.E.S. Inc. are also building homes and installing solar panels. It takes a team to build a community! 💪

🏠 Single-Family Rental Homes, a First for Knott County! We currently have 7 single-family rental homes in framing or finishing, and 3 more will start soon. These 10 homes will be the first HDA rentals ever in Knott County! 🎉

Rental homes are applied for directly through HDA (not Fahe). Because the need for affordable housing is high, we keep a waiting list for rental units. Here's how it works:

1️⃣ Interested individuals or families contact HDA
2️⃣ Our staff reviews eligibility and collects required information
3️⃣ Eligible applicants are placed on the waiting list
4️⃣ When a unit opens up, applicants are contacted in chronological order

Openings are limited, but we encourage eligible households to apply now so you're on file when a home becomes available.

📧 To get a Waiting List application, email our Rental Team at [email protected] and tell her you'd like a Waiting List application.

📣 Check back next week! We'll be sharing more information about our new rental homes soon.

🍁 Cooler fall weather is on the way next week, and we know our crews will be glad to see it! Thank you to everyone working hard to bring safe, affordable, high-ground housing to Eastern Kentucky. 🙌

10/01/2026

10/01/2026

Stronger Together 💜

Last night, our Homes for All AmeriCorps volunteers Zoey Holland and Alicia Napier went to Build Hope for Survivors, an event LKLP Community Action Council hosted at The Grand on Main Street in Hazard to start Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

Community organizations and agencies came together to raise awareness, honor survivors, share resources, and build partnerships to help end domestic violence. Our team shared information about HDA's programs and met with other local providers. Together, we can help survivors find support and a path to a safe, stable home.

Thank you to LKLP for bringing our community together for such an important cause. We're proud to stand with survivors. 💜

If you or someone you know needs help, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or text START to 88788. Help is available 24/7.

09/30/2026

Our work is featured in this documentary, so please give it a watch, if you’re so inclined.

The documentary about the 2022 Eastern Kentucky flood is now available to stream for free. (Link in comments)

09/28/2026

Eastern Kentucky, in Our Own Words 💚

This spring, the Brookings-AEI Commission on U.S. Rural Prosperity visited Hazard, Hindman, and Manchester. The bipartisan commission is working on ideas to strengthen rural communities across the country. Its members spent three days meeting with residents, public officials, business owners, students, educators, health care providers, and civic leaders.

What did they find? A region defined by its strengths, not just its struggles. They saw people rebuilding after disasters, investing in their downtowns, supporting local entrepreneurs, and working together across sectors.

Right here in Hazard, the city and Perry County have worked side by side to bring Main Street back to life. Between 2018 and 2024, 73 businesses opened on Main Street. 🏙️

HDA was honored to be part of this story alongside so many local leaders and organizations who give their all to this region every day. We're proud to be among them.

Give the video a watch. It's a powerful reminder of what Eastern Kentucky can do when we work together. 👇

🎥 https://youtu.be/mz5wC7-lOH8?si=Bb7uU9-r70T2C3Fu
📖 Read more: brookings.edu/articles/americas-rural-future-eastern-Explore Kentucky

The Brookings Institution
City of Hazard - Queen City of the Mountains
City of Hindman
City of Manchester, Kentucky. City Hall

09/25/2026

A wonderful look back at HAC's visit! 💚

The Housing Assistance Council - where our Executive Director, Scott McReynolds, serves on the board - shared these photos from their time with us in Eastern Kentucky - from River Caney holler to the Black Gold Festival to Skyview Estates.

We're so grateful they made the trip, and grateful to everyone who made it special: the homeowners and residents who shared their stories, the church members who hosted us for lunch, our partners at the arts center, and Mayor Happy Mobelini and Judge Scott Alexander for joining us.

Thank you, Housing Assistance Council! 🙏

09/24/2026

Double the Honors! Scott and Chris Recognized at the Fahe Annual Meeting 🏆

We're bursting with pride today! At the Fahe Annual Meeting in Huntington, West Virginia, both of HDA's top leaders were honored for their years of service to Appalachia. 💚

Scott McReynolds, our Executive Director, received the Voice of the Region award - recognition of a leader who has spent decades speaking up for Eastern Kentucky families and making sure our region's housing needs are heard. 🗣️

Chris Doll, our Assistant Director, received the Art Collings Advocacy Award, honoring his tireless advocacy on behalf of the communities we serve. 🤝

These awards recognize years of leadership, partnership, and commitment to strengthening Appalachia - and we can't think of two people more deserving. Scott and Chris have poured their careers into the belief that every family in Eastern Kentucky deserves a safe, quality, affordable home. To see that work honored by the Fahe Network means the world to all of us.

We'd also like to congratulate the other honorees recognized this year: Terry Cunningham, Brenda Weaver, and Eric Haralson (Hall of Fame), Jacob Hannah (Voice of the Region), and Congressman Mike Flood (Friend of Fahe). 👏

Please join us in congratulating Scott and Chris! Their leadership makes our work - and our community - stronger every single day. 💚