Appalachia Service Project to provide free home repairs

ASP uses volunteer labor to make repairs, and is working with Rutherford Housing Partnership. All candidates on the RHP wait list will be considered by the ASP staff.

Appalachia Service Project (ASP) is a Christian ministry open to all people that inspires hope and service through volunteer home repair across 30 counties in Appalachia. This year, ASP will bring its crews of volunteers to Rutherford County to repair homes free of charge this summer for families in need. Using volunteer labor and the leadership of summer staff, ASP hopes to work for 12 or more families in the area.

Appalachia Service Project is working with Rutherford Housing Partnership (RHP), a local nonprofit providing urgently needed repairs to the homes of qualified low-income homeowners, and all candidates on the RHP wait list will be considered by the ASP staff.  

“We are excited to work with Appalachia Service Project,” said Nell Perry Bovender, RHP executive director.  “This gives us a chance to expand our ministry to even more families.”

ASP will be in Rutherford County from early June through late July, and its staff and volunteers will be housed at Trinity Christian School in Rutherfordton. Candidates will selected based on scale of the projects, skill level needed from volunteers, ASP’s budget and safety of the work site. Types of projects include porches, wheelchair ramps, foundations, insulation, roof replacement or repair, weatherization, new doors and more. The goal of the ASP summer program is to help make homes warmer, safer, and drier across in Appalachia.

The ASP Home Repair Application can be found online at asphome.org/apply, and can also be found at the following locations for Rutherford County residents:

•Rutherford Housing Partnership, inside Habitat ReStore, 686 W. Main Street, Forest City. (828) 248-3431.

•Rutherford County Department of Social Services, 389 Fairground Rd, Spindale. (828) 287-6165.

•Rutherford County Senior Center, 193 Callahan Koon Rd, Spindale. (828) 287-6409.

You can also request an application by calling ASP headquarters in Johnson City, TN, at (423) 854-8800.  Applications should be returned to Appalachia Service Project, 4523 Bristol Highway, Johnson City, TN 37601.

To be considered for this summer’s ASP Home Repair Program, residents must complete the application and return it by May 29 to any of the above locations. After May 29, applications should be returned to the ASP staff at the Trinity Christian School, at 299 Deter St, Rutherfordton NC 28139.

Since its founding in 1969, ASP has repaired more than 16,693 homes throughout Central Appalachian Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, North Carolina and West Virginia through the hard work of more than 358,216 volunteers from across the nation. Check ASPhome.org for additional information about ASP.