(WYMT) – Thirty-five volunteers from a group called DreamBuilders are building homes for people who lost everything in the July 2022 flood.
The group teamed up with the Housing Development Alliance to bring people back to the mountains. Officials within both organizations say they couldn’t be happier with the results so far.
“Folks who have left here want to come back now. So we have people contacting us a lot saying, ‘You know, I had to move because of the flood, but now that this is available to me, I want to bring my family back,’” said Mindy Miller, Director of Development and Communication.
John McBeth was a founding member of DreamBuilders. He said their line of work has become more prevalent as time has gone on. As a result, so has the impact that volunteers can make.
“The country needs more volunteers doing this kind of thing because, as you know, the number of natural disasters seems to be increasing. It’s happening more and more frequently. Tornadoes, hurricanes, that kind of thing,” McBeth said.
The volunteers said the three houses will be built by the end of the week and will be ready to be moved into soon.
Thirteen teenagers are among the group of volunteers. One said the work is not a burden, but rather a privilege.
“Yeah, doing the right thing when no one’s watching. Even if I don’t know them, I know I’m just improving their lives, and giving them kind of a fresh, new start,” the volunteer said.
DreamBuilders provided a $75,000 sponsorship in addition to constructing the homes, a gift that McBeth and his team are proud to provide to Kentuckians.
“We believe that the folks in Kentucky are the heartiest people we’ve ever worked with. I mean, they are are so resilient, they’re great to work with, and very thankful,” he said.
Those interested in the homes can call (859) 986-2321, email faheDR@fahe.org, or fill out the interest form found here: www.housingcantwait.org/interest-form/