“Houses of Hope” luncheon raises over $20,000 and still counting in Dickson

“Houses of Hope,” a very successful fundraising luncheon sponsored by TriStar Bank was held Thursday, April 10, at Greystone Golf Club in Dickson. More than 100 guests attended, and the event raised more than $20,000 for the agency to build more homes for purchase by hard-working, low-income families.

There are 3,000 families in Dickson with annual incomes between $15,000 and $25,000 who are not able to afford the fair market rent of $506 monthly. Today, more than 10 percent of the Dickson population and 13 percent of Dickson children live in poverty. Government funding for housing at all levels is on the decline. Only 65 percent of the need for subsidized housing is being met in Dickson, and more than 350 families are on the waiting list for Section 8 homes.

NAHFH Dickson Division rallies donors, volunteers to build first Habitat house in Dickson since merger

Just four months after the merger between Nashville Area Habitat for Humanity and Dickson Habitat for Humanity, donors and volunteers came together to build a home in Dickson for Lisa Brand and her two children. This is the first Habitat home to be built since the merger and the 13th in the history of Habitat for Humanity in Dickson.

The effort kicked off with a “first nail” ceremony at 7:30 a.m. on Thursday, November 1, at 517 Poplar Bend Rd. in Dickson’s growing Hickory Pointe subdivision. Construction continued through Friday, November 9, at 3:00 p.m., when Lisa cut the ribbon to the threshold of her new home and received house keys.

“I want all the volunteers and sponsors to know what a blessing they are to me and my children,” said Brand. “Thank you for helping make my dream of owning a home come true.” Among the first donors to the effort were TriStar Bank, the Dickson chapter of the Greater Nashville Association of Realtors, First Farmers and Merchants Bank, and Good Morning Rotary.

Lisa worked hard since summertime to complete the required Habitat HomeWORKS classes and sweat equity. She saved for a modest down payment, and she purchased her home with a zero-percent interest mortgage. Owning a home has been her dream since she first moved out on her own years ago.

Lisa was born in Nashville and graduated from Whites Creek High School. She grew up in a family of four brothers and one sister, with a loving mother who worked very hard to provide for her children. Now Lisa has two children of her own: a 17-year-old daughter and a 9-year-old son. The family loves to play cards (Uno is a favorite), watch movies and go bowling together. Lisa’s son is a typical boy who loves to play video games and sports, especially basketball. Her daughter is very active at their church and enjoys being member of the church’s Unity Steppers.

Owning a home in Hickory Pointe will put Lisa closer to her work at Wal-Mart in Dickson, where she is a sales coordinator in the jewelry department. She has worked there for more than 17 years. Once her life is more settled, Lisa hopes to further her education.

“I want to congratulate Lisa for all of her hard work to accomplish the dream of homeownership and for taking this huge step in providing a better life for her family. Her home marks the beginning of a new chapter of growth and development for Habitat for Humanity in Dickson and for Nashville Area Habitat,” said NAHFH president and CEO Chris McCarthy. “By expanding our outreach to the more rural areas of Middle Tennessee, we open up many new possibilities for hard-working, low-income families here. There are opportunities for grants that are not available to urban areas, new partnerships with businesses and faith groups, availability of land, and, most importantly, the ability to provide decent, affordable shelter for more families.”

The Dickson division of NAHFH has set an initial goal of doubling house production each year for the next five years.

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