New phase of housing initiative opens homeownership opportunities to educators, healthcare workers, and other pillars of the community
After breaking ground earlier this year on their first housing community, Blue Haven, we’re now broadening our reach by expanding homeownership opportunities—not only to those whose homes were directly impacted by the storm, but also to pillars of the community: educators, healthcare workers, first responders, and others who selflessly serve Western North Carolina.
Through this next phase, we’re offering mortgage-free homes to eligible applicants. It’s a long-term investment in the people who care for and serve our communities every day.
“Keeping the community intact has been my goal all along,” said Eric Church. “And what we’ve learned these past several months is that offering long-term housing to the people who hold our communities together—from those whose homes were lost, to those who are critical to rebuilding—will bring the greatest impact. We’re responding in real time to the evolving needs of Western North Carolina. Chief Cares is here for the long haul.”
The expanded initiative reflects a belief that it takes more than houses to rebuild a community. It’s the people—educators, first-responders, public servants—who turn towns into a community worth staying in. This phase of the Blueprint for the Blue Ridge aims to keep that infrastructure strong by helping those who serve the region to stay rooted right where they’re needed most.
How It Works
Located in Avery County, Blue Haven isn’t just a place to live—it’s a pathway to long-term stability and homeownership. All recipients of a Blue Haven home will live rent-free for ten years, where they’ll continue to invest in the community. At the end of the ten-year term, the deed will be transferred, making the home fully theirs to own.
It’s a unique model built on trust, dignity, and a shared investment in the future of this region.
The initiative is bolstered by a recent $6 million investment from AmeriHealth and the AMY Wellness Foundation, which will help fund key infrastructure, wraparound services, and expanded housing capacity across Avery, Mitchell, and Yancey counties.
What’s Next
With the first families moving into Blue Haven by Thanksgiving, and additional properties under contract in surrounding counties, we’re on pace to deliver roughly 200 homes across the region.
“We’re not just building homes—we’re investing in the people that will carry this community forward for generations,” Church added. “This isn’t about short-term solutions. It’s about long-term hope.”
Applications are now open. To learn more about eligibility or start your application, click here.