Frontier Housing and AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) have announced a new partnership. Through this joint effort, AmeriCorps volunteers are assisting Frontier Housing with the hands-on construction of multiple homes for local Kentuckians in need.
Raymon Johnson is a Field Team Leader with AmeriCorps NCCC. He said Frontier Housing and AmeriCorps share a simple mission: to strengthen communities.
“What Frontier Housing does, they strengthen their community by providing these affordable housing options for folks that may be struggling. And what makes it even better is when they do build these houses, it is more energy efficient, things that they install. So that allows kind of that long-term affordability for those new homeowners,” said Johnson.
Erika McDonald is a community representative with AmeriCorps NCCC. She said these volunteers gain just as much from the partnership as the people receiving the newly constructed houses.
“Because of a lot of the hands-on work, we’ve also been gaining a lot of confidence. If we ever owned a home, we’d be able to fix certain things ourselves. Or if we were ever just doing some sort of construction project on our own, like I don’t know- building a chair or something. We would know how to use saws and measure the wood and all that,” said McDonald.
Officials said the five structures being worked on are set for completion in approximately six to eight months. Their occupants will all move in at the same time, and the homes are set up for community-oriented living.
Frontier Housing serves more than 20 counties across eastern Kentucky with affordable, high-quality, and energy-efficient homes. More information on how to get involved is online at frontierky.org/volunteer.
AmeriCorps NCCC gathers volunteers nationwide ages 18 through 26 for service projects and community outreach, providing hands-on experience. Anyone interested in volunteering with NCCC must complete an application process. More information is online.