Eric Church Breaks Ground On Housing Development Project Helping Families Displaced By Hurricane

Eric Church and his wife Katherine have taken the next step in helping families displaced by Hurricane Helene. Through their nonprofit, Chief Cares, the couple broke ground April 11 on Blue Haven, a mid- to long-term housing development in Avery County, North Carolina, close to Church’s home that will support those affected by the devastating tropical storm.

Church stood before local leaders for the ceremonious first dig on the Blue Haven project, which will offer 45 homes on land acquired by Chief Cares and its partners. The nonprofit will assist selected families with housing expenses, allowing them to live affordably for up to three years as they rebuild their lives following Hurricane Helene. Families will then be given the option of purchasing the home after the three-year term is up.

“The community in this extraordinary setting will provide a shelter of time for its members and owners,” Church said. “We put a house where your home is, so that house can be your home.

Avery County is an area close to Church’s heart, having been born just an hour away.

“The land we stand on today sits in the heart of a county that has meant so much to me,” he said. “This is a place my family and I are proud to call home… Mountain people, my people.”

Chief Cares now aims to keep people in their communities after disasters like the hurricane that occurred last September, focusing on the aftermath of such events and helping families on “a path to stability, homeownership and dignity.”

Blue Haven is part of the organization’s Blueprint for the Blue Ridge initiative, providing a scalable model for mid- to long-term disaster recovery that emphasizes housing and community support.

“We realized that keeping the people in their communities after disaster was a problem with no real solution. We wanted to change that,” Church said. “This is truly a hand up, not a handout. Dignity and community are key to the long-term success of the Blueprint.”

It is our hope and belief that this will provide guidance and support to other communities facing devastation,” he added. “A map to a destination of keeping those communities intact.”

For more information, visit ChiefCares.org.