A new phase of the housing initiative opens homeownership opportunities through Chief Cares
Country music star Eric Church and his nonprofit Chief Cares are deepening their long-term commitment to restoring the fabric of Western North Carolina in the wake of Hurricane Helene. After breaking ground earlier this year on their first housing community, Blue Haven, the organization is now broadening its reach by expanding homeownership opportunities—not only to those whose homes were directly impacted by the storm, but also to pillars of the community: educators, healthcare workers, first responders, and others who selflessly serve Western North Carolina.
Through this next phase, Chief Cares will offer mortgage-free homes to selected applicants—a powerful investment in the people who are integral to our communities every day.
“Keeping the community intact has been my goal all along,” Church says. “And what we’ve learned these past several months is that offering long-term housing to the people who hold our communities together—from those whose homes were impacted, to those who are critical to rebuilding—will bring the greatest impact. We’re responding in real time to the evolving needs of Western North Carolina. Chief Cares is here for the long haul.”
The expanded initiative reflects a belief that it takes more than houses to rebuild a community. It’s the people—educators, first-responders, public servants—who turn towns into a community worth staying in. This phase of the Blueprint for the Blue Ridge aims to keep that infrastructure strong by helping those who serve the region to stay rooted right where they’re needed most.
Located in Avery County, Blue Haven isn’t just a place to live. It’s a pathway to long-term stability and homeownership. All recipients of a Blue Haven home will live rent-free for ten years, where they’ll continue to invest in the community. At the end of the ten-year term, the deed will be transferred, making the home fully theirs to own. It’s a unique model built on trust, dignity, and a shared investment in the future of this region.
The initiative is bolstered by a recent $6 million investment from AmeriHealth and the AMY Wellness Foundation, which will fund key infrastructure, wraparound services and expanded housing capacity across Avery, Mitchell, and Yancey counties.
With the first families slated to move into Blue Haven by Thanksgiving, and additional properties under contract in surrounding counties, Chief Cares is on pace to deliver roughly 200 homes across the region.
“We’re not just building homes—we’re investing in the people that will carry this community forward for generations,” Church adds. “This isn’t about short-term solutions. It’s about long-term hope.”
Chief Cares was established by Eric and Katherine Church to impact lives and make a difference not only in the United States but throughout the world. In response to Hurricane Helene, the organization is focused on mid- to long-term disaster recovery, starting with a bold housing initiative in Western North Carolina designed to become a national model for rebuilding and sustaining resilient communities.
