Habitat for Humanity celebrates start of four houses in new Arden neighborhood

Next Friday, August 11^th Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity will celebrate the start of four new homes in its Arden neighborhood. Upon completion, Presbyterian-United Methodist House #26 will be purchased by the Norris-Hunter family, the McCarson family will buy Episcopal House XII, the Parrot family will make Interfaith House #19 their home, and the Lester family will buy the State Employees Credit Union (SECU) House. These families are all working toward a better future and, together with Asheville Habitat and its generous sponsors and volunteers, they are taking the next step on their journey to self-reliance through shelter.

The families, volunteers, and donors from the various sponsoring groups will join Asheville Habitat at the construction site in Arden (34 Beale Road) on Friday, August 11^th at 12:30 pm to enjoy lunch and fellowship and then participate in the build kick-off rituals of signing studs and gable sheathing. The media and public are invited to attend.

The SECU-sponsored home is part of the SECU-Habitat Mountains to the Sea Challenge, an initiative to build a Habitat home in every county (100) in North Carolina. The Presbyterian-United Methodist and Interfaith community sponsor Habitat homes annually. The Episcopal churches sponsor every other year.

Members of the sponsoring faith communities are as listed:

Presbyterian/United Methodist House #26:

Abernethy UMC

Asbury Memorial United Methodist

Black Mountain Presbyterian Church

Central United Methodist Church

Christ Community Church-Montreat

First Presbyterian Church of Asheville

Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church

Groce United Methodist Church

New Hope Presbyterian Church

Oak Hill United Methodist Church

Oakley United Methodist Church

Reems Creek-Beech Presbyterian

Skyland United Methodist Church

Snow Hill United Methodist Church

Warren Wilson Presbyterian Church

West Asheville Presbyterian Church

Interfaith House #19:

 

Baha’i Faith Center

Basilica of St. Lawrence

Beth Israel Synagogue

Center for Spiritual Living- Asheville

Circle of Mercy

Congregation Beth HaTephila

First Baptist Church- Weaverville

First Baptist Church of Asheville

First Christian Church

First Congregational United Church of Christ

Jubilee! Community, Inc.

Lenoir-Rhyne University

St. Barnabas Catholic Church

St. Eugene Church

St. Margaret Mary’s Catholic Church

St. Mark's Lutheran Church

Trinity United Methodist Church

Unitarian Universalist Congregation of
   Asheville

Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the
   Swannanoa Valley

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­

Episcopal House XII:

Calvary Episcopal Church

The Cathedral of All Souls

Church of the Advocate

Deerfield Episcopal Retirement Community

Episcopal Diocese of WNC

Grace Episcopal Church

St. George’s Episcopal Church

St. Giles Chapel

St. James Episcopal Church

St. John’s Episcopal Church

St. Luke’s Episcopal Church

St. Mary’s Parish

St. Matthias Episcopal Church

Trinity Episcopal Church

Asheville Habitat has built 300 single family homes in Buncombe County, and the neighborhood at Beale Road marks the first time Asheville Habitat has built in Arden. These four homes are part of a 21-house Habitat neighborhood on Jon Kraus Way. This parcel of land will become a thriving neighborhood full of folks investing in their community by shopping locally, paying property taxes, and making mortgage payments to Habitat; payments that will help others become homeowners.