It’s Good to Be Challenged: Update From Fahe’s Spring Retreat
I invite any reason to go to Berea, KY. It feels like home in some ways. Appalachian. College town. Rural. Cultural.
We were invited to the Fahe Spring Retreat for executives of nonprofit housing organizations. Fahe is a member organization for such nonprofits, focused on providing resources and connections for the membership that further the mission of attainable housing enterprises in Appalachian communities. In my experiences with Fahe, this is the place where I go to get inspired to continue in the high-risk business of housing development that is attainable for my neighbors.
I get inspired in two ways. The first is the challenge that comes to do what we do, but do it better. This is because we are the experts in the room, though many of us spend most of our time trying to connect people to resources and put together development deals that won’t sink our organizations. That’s kind of why we are experts. We’ve seen what works and what doesn’t precisely for the households that struggle to attain sustainable housing.
I am inspired because I am challenged, but not challenged in a way that seems fleeting. It’s not just a moment to come together and feel good about what we’ve accomplished, collectively. Don’t get me wrong. Our collective impact is powerful and motivating. Inspiration also comes because the challenge is couched in reality that comes from shared ideas and shared work. I came home from this event with actionable items, and I love work events that leave me with a to do list, not just a wish list.
One of those actionable items is to meet with more elected officials locally and on the state level to tell them what Housing Hub is doing to meet the housing challenges of our neighbors. And guess what? I have one meeting already on the calendar!
Here are a couple of things Housing Hub is doing to meet the housing needs of our neighbors:
Using innovative construction solutions: The Blessing Housing was built in partnership with students in Grundy County High School’s CTE residential construction class. This brought a huge cost savings to the buyer and provided students with a construction site-like classroom experience. Though we won’t build every house like this, the project gave Housing Hub the experience in working towards innovative solutions to construction challenges.
Building private capital: “Don’t start without a lot of money!” This was the advice offered by a mentor as we were dreaming up Housing Hub. Spoiler alert: we started with a good project, not a lot of money. And we are working to change that. While we are positioned to apply for state and federal funding, we also need private investors. Our board has created the Angel Investor program that allows individuals to participate in the mission of housing development.
If you are interested in knowing more about the work of Housing Hub, please feel free to reach out to me at julie@housinghubtn.org. I would be happy to talk your ear off about housing.