Extreme Build 2010 in McCreary County Highlights Homeownership Month - June 10th
More than 100 volunteers kick-off building home; innovative kitchen/bath design helps to eliminate homes with substandard facilities in rural Kentucky

Kristi Wilson is the recipient of the fifth Extreme Build home in McCreary County. Kristi knows hardship first-hand and wanted to provide a better life for her children. Kristi works full time, often over 50 hours per week to provide for her children. She has struggled over the years, but was able to buy her own land for a small mobile home that rapidly deteriorated. She has raised her children on her own, but reached out for help to provide a safe, decent home for them. As Kristi said, "My main focus is my kids. I'm doing this for my kids so they can have something they can be proud of!"

With the help of Extreme Build 2010, Kristi and her 2 children, ages 17 and 2, now enjoy a new home that was built with the help of over 100 volunteers from Kentucky Baptist Fellowship in just over 1 week. One reason the home can be constructed in such a short period is the use of a CORE unit that is built in a factory and delivered to the home site, where an 800-1200 square foot home is built around it. The CORE includes a completely finished kitchen, bathroom, and laundry room, which meet universal design standards and Kentucky building codes. It is then installed as part of the traditional home construction process.

Elmer Parlier of Kentucky Highlands Investment Corporation (http://www.khic.org/) (KHIC) said, "This project, spearheaded by the Kentucky Baptist Fellowship, is supported by all the key funders of affordable housing in Kentucky and results in a beautiful, quality-built home for a deserving family. Kentucky Highlands is proud to be a part of it."

Partners of the project include:

• U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), HOME program and Rural Housing and Economic Development program funder;
• Kentucky Highlands Investment Corporation (KHIC), a funder and coordinator of the entire project -- identified the family, raised the money and recruited the partners;
• McCreary County Community Housing Development Organization (McCHDO), a funder;
• Kentucky Baptist Fellowship (KBF) in Louisville, funder and coordinator of volunteers including lodging and food;
• USDA-Rural Development, funder/lender;
• Kentucky Housing Corporation (KHC), funder;
• Federation of Appalachian Housing Enterprises (FAHE), funder;
• South Kentucky RECC, electrical service and Energy Star compliance; and
• Several local churches, funders.

Joshua Speight, Associate Coordinator for Missions at Kentucky Baptist Fellowship, had this to say, "Kentucky Baptist Fellowship refers to Extreme Build as a "Miracle of Partnerships." As a network of churches and individuals, KBF is unable to build a home of this quality without partners. However, when we pull together our assets alongside the assets of affordable housing partners like HUD, KHIC, FAHE and McCHDO; we are able to build not only a beautiful home, but to build up hope in the lives of families in McCreary County."

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