Press Contact Only:
Margaret Matrone, NCHFA, 919-877-5606, mamatrone@nchfa.com
Connie Helmlinger, NCHFA, 919-877-5607 cshelmlinger@nchfa.com
An Oakwood home that for 26 years has given formerly homeless men recovering from substance dependency a place to restart their lives has just received a major rebuilding of its own. The renovation of Emmaus House, near downtown Raleigh, was undertaken by the NC Housing Finance Agency this summer to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the NC Housing Trust Fund. Emmaus House is supported by a coalition of several local churches.
The renovation will be unveiled at a 6:00 pm ceremony September 26. Attendees are expected to include representatives of the City, General Assembly, NC Congressional delegation and the Oakwood neighborhood, as well as the boards of directors of Emmaus House and the NC Housing Finance Agency, contractors and builders who took part in the effort, and friends of Emmaus House.
The work was financed by a $250,000 forgivable loan from the Housing Trust Fund, as well as more than 400 hours of volunteer labor by Housing Finance Agency staff and gifts-in-kind from contractors and others.
“The renovation will enable Emmaus House to continue its mission for many decades,” said Hank Tubbs, chairman of the Emmaus House board of directors. “The house is now sound, energy-efficient, more economical to operate and a much more uplifting place for our clients to live.”
Renovations to the 98-year-old house include structural repairs, insulation and energy efficiency improvements, new plumbing, new wiring, a new kitchen and landscaping. In addition, many of the home’s historic features were restored, meeting Raleigh’s historic district standards.
“This project seems the ideal way to celebrate the work the state’s Housing Trust Fund has accomplished over the last 25 years,” said Bob Kucab, executive director of the NC Housing Finance Agency. “The Trust Fund is the state’s most effective resource for housing people with very low-incomes or special needs. It finances everything from homeless shelters to homeownership, and creates hundreds of jobs in the process.”
General contractors for the Emmaus House renovation were Wagner Services Unlimited of Apex and Hartmann Home Improvements, Inc., of Wake Forest. The renovation supported 56 local construction jobs.
Emmaus House
Emmaus House provides transitional housing for working, homeless men leaving programs such as the Healing Place and other addiction recovery programs. The organization, also called Emmaus House, was formed in 1986 when a mission group from Pullen Memorial Baptist Church began exploring ways to alleviate homelessness in Raleigh.
Today, it is led by Pullen Memorial Baptist Church, Christ Episcopal Church and White Memorial Presbyterian Church and receives support from the local ABC Board. Emmaus House operates three homes that provide housing and services to 26 men. Emmaus House coordinates services for residents, including case management, health care, psychosocial rehabilitation and vocational support. Residents hold jobs, pay modest rents and establish mandatory savings accounts to build toward self-sufficiency. Sixty-seven percent of residents have maintained their sobriety and self-sufficiency after seven years.
NC Housing Trust Fund
Since its creation by the General Assembly in 1987, the Housing Trust Fund has built or rehabilitated 24,300 homes and apartments with a real estate value of $869 million and has generated 16,200 jobs. All 100 counties have benefitted. It benefits households with very low-incomes; nearly 82 percent of Trust Fund housing produced in 2011 serves people below 50 percent of local median income. The state’s Housing Trust Fund is managed by the North Carolina Housing Finance Agency, which pays all the administrative costs, and supported by a broad coalition of organizations, including the North Carolina Association of Realtors, The North Carolina Association of Homebuilders, The North Carolina Bankers Association, and many others.
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The North Carolina Housing Finance Agency is a self-supporting public agency. It has financed 206,000 homes and apartments in the last three decades, including nearly 83,000 homes for first-time home buyers. To learn more, go to www.nchfa.com or call 919-877-5700 or 800-393-0988.
