Born out of a community redlining protest, HomeSource east tennessee was created by Knoxville’s Partnership for Neighborhood Improvement, an organization comprised of bank leaders and residents who came together to address the problems of substandard housing and the lack of affordable housing in the Knoxville area in the late 1980s.
Understanding the complex nature of the problem and knowing that one entity alone could not solve the issue at hand, HomeSource east tennessee partners with local governments, businesses, and private citizens to provide affordable housing opportunities to residents of Knox County and the East Tennessee region.
Through the hard work of our dedicated staff and board, HomeSource east tennessee is one of 247 NeighborWorks® America organizations in the U.S., and one of only 92 nationally recognized HomeOwnershipSM Centers across the country.
HomeSource east tennessee:
Investing in Knox County communities for 30 years
Since joining NeighborWorks® America in December 1998, HomeSource east tennessee has graduated more than 5,000 customers from the Homebuyer Education program, and more than 2,000 have graduated into homeownership, moving from tenant status to homeowners with real investment in their neighborhoods and vital participants in the economy of their community.
Some of HomeSource east tennessee’s successes over the past 30 years include:
- Guiding $3.4 million in New Horizon funds for work in the Morningside and Pond Gap communities;
- Rehabilitating four houses on the 1600 block of Jefferson Avenue by investing $528,000 in the Parkridge Model Block, which resulted in an increase in property values for across the neighborhood;
- In 2006, constructing five homes in the Park City community, which at the time was one of the most depressed communities in the city, and building one new home in the Mechanicsville neighborhood;
- In 2007-2008, yielding seven new first-of-their-kind houses, five on Chestnut Street and two on Houston Avenue, that are 31% more energy efficient than comparable code-built homes as part of LEED for Homes Project: Gold Certification;
- Development of Riverbirch Village, a 40-unit senior community in Karns, utilizing low-income housing tax credits;
- Development of Willow Place, a 20-unit senior complex directly adjacent to Riverbirch Village;
- Development of Blueberry Ridge Apartments, the first LEED for Homes Project: Platinum Certification affordable housing development in East Tennessee;
- Development of Dutch Valley View, a LEED for Homes: Gold Certification 6-unit apartment complex for low-income families;
- New construction of three new single-family homes in the economically challenged Lonsdale Community in Knoxville, and upcoming plans for four more new Lonsdale homes, one of which is a Universal Design House;
- Rehabilitating seven houses in Blount and Campbell County as part of the Neighborhood Stabilization Program;
- Since 2005, HomeSource east tennessee has built more than 70 new houses or units that provide 100% visitability.
- Development of the Village at Holston Place, a 27-unit complex for seniors and disabled households.
With the continued support of HomeSource east tennessee’s local and national partners and with the help of caring contributors and volunteers, individuals and families will continue to be served with their affordable housing needs well into the future.