Housing Development Alliance

If you stop for a second and listen closely, you can hear a faint tapping sound echoing through the mountains of Southeastern Kentucky. It is the sound of the Housing Development Alliance “Hammerin’ in the Hills” spring volunteers. These volunteers are college students who choose to forgo the typical Spring Break to come to Appalachia to help those in need. Our March volunteers have traveled from as far away as Pennsylvania, New Hampshire and Tennessee.
During the month of March, in a mixture of snow, rain and sun, volunteers from St. Joseph University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Belmont College in Nashville, Tennessee and Chester College of New England in Chester, New Hampshire, repaired 3 houses in Breathitt County and 4 houses in Perry County. Under the supervision of the Housing Development Alliance carpenters, these students repaired roofs, dug ditches, worked in crawl spaces to secure beams, removed and replaced porches and built handicap ramps. During the work day the students had opportunities to interact with the home owners and learn a little about our area and its rich culture, acquire new carpentry skills and gain a little insight about themselves and what they can accomplish. These students worked hard and were often exhausted and covered in mud by the end of the day but remained focused on the job they came to do. I spoke with one of the Breathitt County homeowners who expressed amazement that people their age would give up their vacation to come and work for people in Appalachia. She also said that they had given her hope for the future.
The month of March saw a total of 51 volunteers visit our area with more arriving in April. So, if you hear the faint tapping sound of hammers echoing through the mountains, look around - the sound may just be coming from some of our volunteers. You may also want to keep in mind; this is just the prelude to the summer months. When our volunteers begin arriving in June the tapping will grow louder and louder as the mountains are filled with the sounds of people helping people.