Transform Chattanooga

EarthCraft Certification Sought for first of 7 Homes built in partnership with the City of Chattanooga’s Neighborhood Stabilization Program

Thanks to the City of Chattanooga and Habitat for Humanity of Greater Chattanooga, Carla Allen and her children now have a new simple, decent, affordable, safe and energy-efficient home in Alton Park.

Things have not always been easy for Carla – by the time she turned 24 years old she had four children and was living on her own.  The family initially lived in public housing before receiving a housing choice voucher and moving to a rental house.  Although the housing choice voucher offered more stability than public housing, Carla felt it was not the best scenario for her family – the neighborhood where she rented was filled with drug activity.

Carla readily acknowledges many of the challenges she has faced are the result of decisions she made when she was young.  However, she has never allowed herself or her children to use their circumstances as an excuse.  She has always challenged her family to work hard and aim high.  After working at Shaw Industries for the last four years and moving her family to a position of self sufficiency, Carla feels there is no better time than now to push her family to the next level – homeownership.

Carla is proud of the fact that she has been able to nurture her children and help them thrive even though they live in a neighborhood that has more than its share of violence and drug activity.  Her oldest child – Frederick, is sophomore at the University of Tennessee, while Shaquille, 15, Ty-Neisha 12, and 10 year old Venyetta, the youngest of four children remain at home.

“It is a privilege to work with Carla to help her achieve her dream of homeownership,” says Connie O’Neal, director of family services with Habitat for Humanity of Greater Chattanooga.  “We hope that the family’s new home will support Carla and her children as they work to build a stronger and more stable future for their family.”

The Allen family’s home is the first of seven homes to be developed by Habitat in partnership with Neighborhood Stabilization Program efforts being coordinated by the City of Chattanooga’s Department of Neighborhood Services and Community Development, under Mayor Ron Littlefield.   “We are grateful for the City’s support in this construction of this home, and the others to be built through this partnership,” says Pete Palmer, Habitat’s Executive Director.  “Looking ahead, Habitat hopes to continue the neighborhood focus of this program by partnering with area foundations, businesses, groups and churches to address community needs.  Our skill set is the construction of new simple, decent, affordable and safe homes, but by coming alongside other organizations with different lines of service in specific neighborhoods, our homes, combined with their efforts can create greater impact than each of us may be able to achieve alone.”

The Allen family home also marks the beginning point for Habitat for Humanity of Greater Chattanooga’s commitment to third party certification of its builds to EarthCraft House standards for energy efficiency.  “Because wise use of energy is increasingly important to our community, having our homes formally certified helps raise awareness of the impact that careful use of materials and technology can have on the energy efficiency of a home, and helps the public have confidence that we are building a quality energy efficient home for our partner families” says Dennis Neal, LEED AP, Habitat’s Director of Construction and Land Development.

With moving completed, Habitat for Humanity of Greater Chattanooga Area’s ReStore is now open in its temporary location – come see us 9 a.m. Tuesday – Friday, and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays at 3126 Alton Park Blvd in Chattanooga.  Call 634-1004 for more information or to schedule a donations pick-up!