Annie Cacheiro, right, executive director of Aid to Distressed Families of Appalachian Counties, and Thom Mason, director of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, speak at a dedication for a home built by volunteers on Jay Lane.
Volunteers from UT-Battelle have completed their second home in two years for ADFAC, a nonprofit agency that helps low-income residents.
Officials and volunteers celebrated last week with a ceremony at the new single-story, two-bedroom home on Jay Lane.
“It’s a blessing,” said Emily Mitchell, 24, the new homeowner. “I know I couldn’t do it on my own.”
Mitchell, who has a two-year-old daughter, now lives on Van Hicks Place. She is the family self-sufficiency coordinator for the Oak Ridge Housing Authority.
The new Jay Lane home will be her first. She has a 30-year mortgage on the 988-square-foot home, which is valued at about $98,000.
The eight-week construction project, which started this spring, was completed with the help of about 96 volunteers from Team UT-Battelle, who mostly worked on weekends. (UT-Battelle manages Oak Ridge National Laboratory.) It’s the second home that Team UT-Battelle has built for ADFAC’s Affordable Housing Program.
The volunteers spent roughly 1,700 hours building the home. They did most of the work, including the plumbing, electrical, foundation, framing, siding, decks, and porches.
“Pretty impressive for a group of volunteers,” said Bronzie Harris, construction manager for ADFAC, or Aid to Distressed Families of Appalachian Counties.
Team UT-Battelle did a similar project on Robertsville Road last year, with about 78 volunteers donating 950 hours.
“It’s just a great experience for us,” said Ann Weaver, ORNL director of facilities management and volunteer team captain. Team UT-Battelle, which uses skilled workers from ORNL, hopes to build one home a year, she said.
During last week’s ceremony, ORNL Director Thom Mason presented a $5,000 check to ADFAC.
The land for Mitchell’s new home was transferred to ADFAC from the city. Oak Ridge acquired the property through a neighborhood stabilization program.
“We’re glad to see a new family move in,” said Kahla Gentry, Oak Ridge senior planner.
ADFAC is an independent nonprofit agency that exists to serve the basic needs of primarily low-income residents in Anderson and surrounding Appalachian counties.
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