Eric Church Expands Free Housing for WNC to Yancey County

Eric and Katherine Church's Blue Haven Communities expands mortgage-free, rent-free homes for western NC community pillars into Yancey County.

Country star Eric Church, who grew up in rural Granite Falls in western North Carolina, and his wife Katherine have launched Blue Haven Communities, a new nonprofit expanding the housing work they began under Chief Cares ahead of the second anniversary of Hurricane Helene. According to a press release reported by Cardinal & Pine, the initiative provides mortgage-free, rent-free housing for "local community pillars — educators, healthcare workers, first responders, and others who selflessly serve Western North Carolina." The couple said in a joint statement that these people "embody hope when things get tough" and are "the reason that Western North Carolina, or any community touched by disaster, endures."

Both Cardinal & Pine and WKYK report that the first community, Blue Haven Avery, comprises 37 homes, with 18 completed and 14 already occupied; all 37 homes are anticipated to be completed and occupied by 97 residents by January. Ground has now been broken on a second Blue Haven community in Yancey County, with hopes of expanding the initiative on a broader scale. WKYK adds that Winston McGregor, a North Carolina native with more than 20 years of housing and nonprofit experience, has been named chief executive officer. McGregor previously served as president and CEO of Habitat for Humanity of Greater Greensboro and as chief operating officer of The Innovation Project.

Two years after Helene devastated the mountains, many recovery stories have faded from headlines, yet communities in Avery and Yancey counties are still struggling with housing. What makes this development remarkable is its structure: rather than one-time aid, Blue Haven builds whole communities designed to keep essential workers rooted in the towns they serve, so recovery capacity stays local. As the Churches put it, the goal is "making it possible for them to stay rooted in their communities and continue to serve," and WKYK reports the aim is long-term housing stability as western North Carolina continues recovering.

Per Cardinal & Pine, the Yancey County project is only the beginning, with the Churches hoping to continue expanding the initiative on a broader scale beyond western North Carolina. Readers who want more information can find it at chiefcares.org, as WKYK notes. The timing is poignant: the announcement lands just before the second anniversary of the Sept. 28 storm, which Cardinal & Pine's editor recalls experiencing on his own wedding anniversary — a beautiful day followed by news of the devastation unfolding in the mountains. For the region's educators, medics, and first responders, Blue Haven offers a durable answer to the question of who gets to stay home.