Knoxville HUD FPM Operations Specialist Keith Richardson participated in the groundbreaking for a 22-lot affordable single-family housing subdivision being developed by Eastern Eight Community Development Corporation in rural Mountain City, TN. The event, held at the new Shady Meadows subdivision, was held in celebration of National Homeownership Month and was attended by Johnson County Mayor, and staff from the offices of Senator Bill Frist (R-TN), Senator Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and Representative William Jenkins (R-1-TN). Representatives from other funding partners participating in the event included the Department of Agriculture's Rural Development and Tennessee Housing Development Agency.

Eastern 8 new home exterior

"Putting together a development like this requires the skills of a jigsaw puzzle enthusiast, and it is obvious that Eastern Eight's Executive Director Retha Patton is great at jigsaw puzzles". said Keith Richardson at the event. "She has pulled together the resources of HUD, Rural Development, Tennessee Housing Development Agency, and local government to create this exciting new opportunity for the people of Johnson County. This type of partnership is exactly what it takes to bring increased homeownership to this part of Appalachia, and we thank Eastern Eight for including HUD in their effort."

Eastern 8 new home interior

Headquartered in Johnson City, TN, and chartered in 1998, Eastern Eight's staff of affordable housing professionals focus on three distinct programs; homebuyer education classes, individual housing counseling, and housing development.

Eastern 8 targets eight Appalachian counties in Upper East Tennessee: Carter, Greene, Hancock, Hawkins, Johnson, Sullivan, Unicoi, and Washington. Their housing counseling program works in conjunction with their education program. Upon completion of the classroom work, Eastern Eight staff work one-on-one with families to help them apply what they have learned to their individual situations. Many families become homeowners. Eastern Eight also offers a Homebuyer's Club for those interested in spending more time preparing for homeownership. The class meets once a month in Johnson City.

Shady Meadows subdivision groundbreaking ceremonyMountain City, TN

As people transition through the homebuyer education program, Eastern Eight has seen a dramatic increase in the number of families ready to meet the challenges and assume the responsibilities of homeownership. Eastern Eight, with Mark Brezina's (Knoxville HUD Field Office Director) encouragement, aggressively pursued a HUD Section 8 homeownership program. This enables families receiving Section 8 rental assistance to convert that subsidy to mortgage payments. Permanent financing is arranged on a case-by-case basis and combines various funding sources including Tennessee Housing Development Agency (THDA) - the state housing agency, Federal Home Loan Bank, Rural Development, and local banks. And they are recipients of $539,000 in HUD rural economic grant funding. Eastern Eight closed its first Section 8 deal in 2003 with a young, single mother who is disabled.