Cody Shares Update with Monteagle Sewanee Rotary Club

We are grateful to our friends at the Monteagle Sewanee Rotary Club for the opportunity to update members on the work of Housing Hub at their regular meeting on March 12th. After a delicious breakfast and a few business items, Cody was able to share about our ongoing work, showing the substantial momentum that has grown in the past year.

“We understand there are a lot of needs across the spectrum.” With a quick re-introduction of the organization, Cody launched into the basis of our housing work, emphasizing both Housing Hub’s lane and the need for being a voice of housing affordability in the community.

There were a lot of nods of approval when Cody discussed our newly launched Build Opportunities, a pre-apprenticeship workforce development program that is in the targeted recruiting phase. The program includes hands-on learning of carpentry skills as well as professional development topics. “We are excited to be able to offer all of these different supports, “ Cody said. “Our ultimate goal is that someone goes straight to work for a local contractor or they go into further training at a vocational school.”

As a workforce development program, Building Opportunities exists to remove barriers for folks engaging in the workforce, to be a testing ground for interest in the construction trades. Even if participants decide not to enter the construction workforce, they will have learned valuable skills that will be useful in other work situations.

One Rotarian reflected that the price point of Housing Hub’s homes is for people who are our teachers, EMTs, and bank tellers. "We build homes that working families can afford,” Cody said, “and those are the roles that are crucial to our community. They are getting priced out of the market.” We dug into an important conversation about affordability on the Plateau—our challenges, our progress, and the hope we’re building together.

Rotarian Debbie Byrd turned and offered a thumbs up. “This work is amazing!” We’re thankful for partners who care deeply about housing and community.