Frontier Housing in Rowan County is nearing completion of its first Dream Build Initiative prototype. Officials said the James Graham Brown Foundation recently awarded Fahe nearly $2 million, a portion of which will go toward the affordable housing effort.
Officials said the project uses modular construction to create homes, which are built with pre-manufactured rooms that can be transported and assembled on-site.
Tom Manning-Beavin is the President and CEO of Frontier Housing. He said further development is expected by the end of the year.
“We’ll have to have at least two prototypes completed in a subdivision in Bath County, and also starting to move into more of a production mode. Move beyond just prototyping to also doing production, and working with customers to make choices about what spaces they would like to own and what finishes they would like in that space,” said Manning-Beaven.
In July, Manning-Beaven said Frontier Housing’s goal was to construct three prototypes by the end of 2024. The first prototype home is expected to be completed by late October.
Manning-Beavin added affordable housing is needed by many Kentuckians, especially those impacted by the 2022 floods.
“We need many homes and we need lots of different organizations, for-profit and nonprofit, potentially, doing that work to deliver homes so that flood survivors have quality housing, and I think its also highlighting the need for housing generally in Eastern Kentucky,” said Manning-Beaven.
Frontier Housing officials said the Dream Build Initiative accelerates the home-building process while maintaining state building codes. The program is expected to continue into next year.