Putnam Habitat for Humanity Receives $15K in Grant Funding

The Putnam County Habitat for Humanity will received over $15,000 to go towards building a new home.

Director of Development Melissa Parks says the grant funding will be beneficial in providing affordable housing to families in need.

“It is so helpful because about 75 percent of our funding comes from individuals, churches, and businesses here in Putnam County,” Parks says. “To be able to have one large gift just puts us that much closer to being able to putting a Habitat family in an affordable home… and really use that opportunity to change their life.”

The THDA awarded $500,000 in grant funding to various Habitat for Humanity chapters across the state. Parks says having the THDA as a partner with helps the state see what their needs are for families across the state.

“They really understand the vision Habitat has of a world where everyone has a decent place to live,” Parks says. “They really understand that and they feel like using the funds from the Tennessee Housing Trust Fund to build affordable housing is a good use of those dollars. The state and the different communities really see a return on that investment.”

Parks says having affordable housing allows families who face financial issues to put money towards other things that will help improve their lives.

“Maybe it’s going back to school, or  learning a skill, or sometimes its something just as simple as being able to go on vacation as a family for the first time,” Parks says. “Just that simple act of having a safe, decent, affordable home really puts many of our families on the road to improving their lives in so many different ways.”

Parks says the grant funding will also be used to purchase building supplies in addition to their West End Place housing development.

“Every time that we get this grant money from THDA, it just puts us that much closer to our goal of building homes in the West End neighborhood that we’re developing right now,” Parks says. “The end goal is to have 52 affordable homes in that entire neighborhood.”

Parks says the funding will be a major asset in helping decreasing the overall cost of the West End housing project.

“We have to raise about $90,000 total to build a home, so that gives us a head start in building a home here in town,” Parks says.

Funding from the Tennessee Housing Trust Fund is generated through the THDA’s mortgage loan program. Habitat for Humanities of Tennessee has received over $75 million in grant funding for housing projects since 2006.