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The 'Dream of Homeownership' is More than a Cliché for a Kentucky Family

Posted by Thomas Fern, state director for USDA Rural Development in Kentucky in Rural
Jun 10, 2013
USDA Rural Development Kentucky State Director Thomas Fern, Easton and Shawna Barnett, and Josh Speight of Kentucky Baptist Fellowship with volunteer builders in the background. USDA Photos.
USDA Rural Development Kentucky State Director Thomas Fern, Easton and Shawna Barnett, and Josh Speight of Kentucky Baptist Fellowship with volunteer builders in the background. USDA Photos.

Imagine for a moment you are a child surrounded by kind strangers – trailers coming and going with large pieces of structure, big cranes lifting and moving objects, women and men pounding nails into wood, saws ripping through timbers and groups of people working together to upright walls that will someday hold your toys.

Imagine being a child who only understands all this commotion through the explanation by his mother and father this will soon be their home. He doesn’t understand words like, “wealth creation”, “equity”, “dream of homeownership”, or other adult terms we use to define the values of owning a home. To him, it is about having a place where he can go outside and play in the yard, a place where his room becomes his refuge on occasion, and a place where he creates and records the moments in life that later become the memories recanted to his children and grandchildren.  For Easton, watching all of this commotion and seeing the kindness of strangers, will be a memory that he will long remember.

Thanks to Kentucky Baptist Fellowship, Kentucky Highlands Investment Corporation’s Southern Tier Housing, and USDA Rural Development, Easton and his mom and dad will have that chance at realizing the dream of home ownership.

For the last several years, volunteers from throughout the Commonwealth of Kentucky, coordinated through the Kentucky Baptist Fellowship, have descended upon McCreary County to help families like Shawna, Malachi and their son Easton. The devotion by the volunteers to make a difference in the lives of those they help is inspiring.   A labor of love is underway in McCreary County.

Homeownership Month is a time when our nation pauses and reflects on the values of owning a home. A time when we hold open houses, ground breakings, or other celebrations to heighten the understanding of the impact homeownership has on families, neighborhoods, and communities across rural America.

Homeownership Month is about people, neighbors, family and a place to call home, whatever your age.

To learn more about Homeownership Month click here.

Easton Barnett at the site of his new home. USDA Photos.
Easton Barnett at the site of his new home. USDA Photos.
Category/Topic: Rural