Many families in Western North Carolina were facing the holiday season still in need of the perfect housing, after Hurricane Helene devastated their towns.
But this month, thanks to Lowe’s relief efforts and hundreds of volunteer home builders, dozens of tiny homes were donated to families and installed in time for Christmas Eve.
The tiny homes, which include heat and all the necessities—like a kitchen, bathroom, and two full-size beds—allow families to remain in their neighborhood while their permanent home is rebuilt.
Each home includes fresh seasonal greenery, furnishings, and décor all donated by Lowe’s.
Kathy Graham has lived in the mountains near Asheville for 24 years and when the flood waters receded, there was mold left behind and no heat, but she didn’t want to go anywhere because she couldn’t leave all her animals. That’s why she was overcome with emotion when she saw her new, temporary home for the first time ten days ago.
“Thank God I got my new home—my ‘tiny home’. It’s awesome. It’s gorgeous. I can’t believe it. I can’t even say how much I appreciate it. The Lord has answered my prayers, honestly. Answered my prayers.”
Graham is one of several dozen people who were able to move into the mobile tiny homes in the coming weeks, all thanks to a massive effort that Lowe’s employees and a community of builders have worked round the clock to make happen.
The project came together when Lowe’s Senior Director of Community relations, Julie Yenichek, posed a crazy idea to an old friend, Danny Kelly, the co-owner of Kelly McArdle Construction in Charlotte.
“She told me she wanted to build a hundred tiny homes and I thought, oh my God, that’s perfect. I’ve been looking for my opportunity to do something big, but I don’t have the resources to do it and she said they had all these volunteers lined up, and all the supplies lined up, they just didn’t know how to do it.”
So, a team of volunteers built a prototype in his backyard and soon moved to a Charlotte warehouse and built 16 more with the help of 400 volunteers who signed up to assemble the 8 x16 ft homes right before the holidays.
Lowe’s is purchasing another 50 homes built by Incredible Tiny Homes at its Newport, Tennessee facility—67 units to give families who need a home for the holidays, with an additional 33 delivered by early January. Watch one of the heartwarming deliveries below…
Amanda Hayes and Randy Jones, co-owners of Incredible Tiny Homes, said they watched as the floods ravaged their East Tennessee hometown. They were thrilled when Lowe’s called them with a solution for families—funding the construction of many more of their tiny homes to be driven to sites all over.
“The first home went to a mom with three kids and it really hit me whenever they sent me the pictures… it was like, my goodness, these people don’t want to leave their land,” said Amanda.
“It just means everything. To provide housing for these people who have lost everything, this is the most special thing that we’ve ever done with Lowe’s.”
Permanently fixed on wheels, they can sleep three to four people, and can connect to electricity.
The Home Builders Association of Greater Charlotte is spearheading the volunteer effort. Jennifer Schuster, their Executive Officer, says they had more than 400 volunteers sign up to help put the tiny homes together in just a matter of seven days.
“We’ve had volunteers—everything from framing crew, roofing crew, plumbers, electricians, to the actual builders in the markets—sending their project managers to our associates, which are the suppliers, sending their people to be a part of this.”
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Yenichek says the goal is to get at least 100 tiny homes completed and delivered to the flood victims in the mountains as soon as possible, as part of Lowe’s $12 million pledge to support recovery efforts.
The US disaster agency FEMA has approved $279 million, which includes funds for renting a home or apartment for over 140,000 households, according to local WLOS-TV News, but some people don’t want to leave their communities, so have been in FEMA paid hotel rooms or makeshift tents or sheds.
The effort is also supported by Habitat for Humanity, NASCAR haulers—who towed the homes to towns across the region—BeLoved Asheville, the Appalachia Service Project, and SunCap Property Group which donated the warehouse space to host the build.
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