'An open door': Holston Habitat for Humanity celebrates neighborhood groundbreaking

Holston Habitat for Humanity celebrated a milestone for its organization and the Johnson City community on Thursday morning by hosting a groundbreaking ceremony for its first affordable housing neighborhood, Morrison Meadows. The project provides 12 units of housing for 12 families and is the first neighborhood Holston Habitat for Humanity is constructing. Executive Director Laura Kelly said the neighborhood just off of John Exum Parkway near Science Hill High School is a sign of hope for those needing a home. "Every family that comes to Holston Habitat, we hear them say over and over they're excited for the safety [and] for the stability," Kelly said. "It's just the relief – their shoulders can just drop knowing that you've got a safe, affordable home over your head and a great place to provide for your children…They can figure out the rest, they just need this one open door to achieve their dream of homeownership, and then they've got it." The groundbreaking ceremony had many in attendance, including a few of the Johnson City and Washington County commissioners, Johnson City Mayor Greg Cox and Washington County Mayor Joe Grandy, and a couple of the families that will be moving into the homes once they are completed. Local artist Jason Flack also revealed a painting to help celebrate the groundbreaking for the new neighborhood. Cox was invited to the podium, praising Holston Habitat's work and the partnership the organization formed with the City of Johnson City to make Morrison Meadows possible. "In the fall of 2023 the city conveyed this property to Habitat with a shared vision – affordable housing for families and a public park for our community," Cox said. "Johnson City is nearly 5,000 homes short from what our residents need, and those shortages affect…really the people that help keep the city running for everyone, and they have the hardest time getting a home. We need to figure out how to solve that challenge any way we can." Grandy shared similar sentiments to Cox. He commended Kelly's ability to get people involved, the overall mission to help families in need and the faith-driven purpose behind building Morrison Meadows. "There's no question that God is in this place today," Grandy said. "The things that have happened to make this event and this neighborhood possible couldn't have happened without His intervention." Rachel Throp and her kids, one of the families who will be moving into Morrison Meadows, were also present at the groundbreaking. Throp said she was excited to see the progress for the neighborhood and what it will provide for her and her family. "We moved [to the area] in January of 2023," Throp said. "We've rented the same house the whole time we've been here, and we've gotten plugged into the schools and made a new community. I'm back in school at ETSU as well and getting my masters and undergrad at the same time. Habitat was just part of the puzzle of putting our lives back together." Throp added she is eager to walk through the new doors of her home and be able to provide a more stable environment for her children. "For me, especially as a single parent, I have five kids that live with me," she said. "Just the cost of rent right now, you know, I spend several thousand dollars a month to keep my kids housed. The idea of an affordable house with no interest, I'm going to be able to pay that off and actually have something to pass down to my kids that's ours and creates that stability that we lost before and we've had to start over. It puts me back in the driver's seat of my life." Kelly said in 2027, the goal is to build out the first five homes of Morrison Meadows and build the following seven in 2028. The additional public park and total completion of the neighborhood is to be finished by 2029. The neighborhood will consist of four duplexes and four single-family homes.