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March 26, 2023

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News News Notes

Kent Attainable Housing, Inc. will Host an Open House

January 22, 2023 by Spy Desk Leave a Comment

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WHAT: Kent Attainable Housing, Inc. invites you to an Open House of their new office location in downtown Chestertown.
WHEN: Friday, Feb 17, 2023, 4 pm – 6pm
LOCATION: 114 S. Lynchburg St., Suite D, Chestertown, MD 21620

Kent Attainable Housing, Inc. (KAH) invites you to join them for an Open House and Ribbon Cutting Ceremony to commemorate the opening of their new office location in downtown Chestertown. This event is free and open to the public, and light refreshments will be available.

KAH was founded in 2019 to address the urgent need to make affordable housing more attainable. KAH builds the capacity of our applicants to successfully own a home through required workshops in financial literacy, homeownership, and budget management.

KAH would like to thank its founders, board members, volunteers, and donors for their ongoing support and for creating a long-term impact in the Kent County community. KAH would also like to thank the Kent County Chamber of Commerce and Kent County Economic Development & Tourism for helping make this event possible.

“Kent Attainable Housing, Inc. is a nonprofit breaking the cycle of intergenerational poverty by building or renovating affordable houses and partnering with limited-income, working families to prepare for and buy a home.”

Filed Under: News Notes Tagged With: Chestertown Spy, Kent Attainable Housing, local news

Kent Attainable Housing Hires Key Leaders

August 19, 2022 by Spy Desk Leave a Comment

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The Board of Directors of Kent Attainable Housing (KAH) is pleased to announce the appointment of Terwana Brown and Dylan Grimes to key leadership positions. Grimes and Brown will work with KAH Board and Volunteer Leaders to scale the organization’s impact.

Terwana Brown joined the KAH staff as a full-time Program Manager in July, vacating her former role as Vice-President of the KAH Board. In her new position, Brown is responsible for the organization’s Future Homeowner Program, which helps income-limited, working families attain home ownership. Brown is a former small-business owner and most recently worked as an administrator with the Kent County Health Department, helping lead the local response to the COVID-19 epidemic. Leon Frison, a former President of Kent County’s Local Management Board, and a retired Kent County Middle School Teacher, has been elected to replace Brown as Board Vice-President and President-Elect.

Dylan Grimes, who currently serves as Director of Development for Central Delaware Habitat for Humanity, has been appointed to serve as KAH’s first Chief Development and Community Engagement Officer. In this role, Grimes will advance the mission of KAH through fundraising, corporate partnerships, volunteer engagement, and community events. Grimes will partner with KAH Board Member and Grant Director Ronnie Edelman to identify, pursue, and steward grant funding. Grimes will start her new role on September 12th.

To further support KAH, Board Member Kathy Kuhmerker Appel, a twenty-five-year veteran of New York State’s Division of the Budget who served as Medicaid Director for New York State from 1999 until 2005, has agreed to continue serving as the organization’s volunteer Chief Financial Officer. Bob Ingersoll, who has led the construction and related functions for KAH since 2021, will continue in his current role as the organization’s Agent and Construction Director. Ingersoll, a seasoned community leader, has held board and volunteer roles at Shore Rivers, Kent Cultural Alliance, and The Sultana Education Foundation.

With Brown, Grimes, Appel, and Ingersoll in place, the KAH Board has chosen to pause its search for an Executive Director. Taylor Frey, KAH Board President, will supervise KAH staff and work with the organization’s Board to guide strategy and ensure community impact. Frey is an HR and Change Management Professional with a global company. He served a two-year term on Habitat for Humanity’s U.S. Advisory Council and interned with the Obama White House in 2015. “This is an exciting moment for KAH and Kent County. We have an exceptional team that will help accelerate our work to support working families in Kent County. KAH will be actively seeking community support and partners who can help further our important mission,” said Frey.

Co-Founders Jonathan Chace and Lani Seikaly will also continue in their leadership roles on the Board. Chace and Seikaly, along with late Co-Founder Ed Minch, launched KAH in 2019 to reduce the cycle of poverty by creating opportunities for working families to become homeowners in Kent County.

Kent Attainable Housing can be reached at KentAttainableHousing@gmail.com. Donations to Kent Attainable Housing can be made at KentAttainableHousing.org.

Filed Under: News Notes Tagged With: Chestertown Spy, Kent Attainable Housing, local news

Kent Attainable Housing, Inc., Awarded for Maryland’s Community Investment Tax Credit Program

June 17, 2022 by Spy Desk Leave a Comment

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The Board of Kent Attainable Housing applauds the hard work and sacrifices that Eugene and Tamyra Dupre Jones put into becoming homeowners after the Kent Chamber ribbon-cutting. Photo by John Guthrie.

Kent Attainable Housing, Inc. (KAH), Kent County’s affordable housing program helping limited-income working families become homeowners, has received an allocation of $30,000 in State tax credits to help fund the construction of a new home on Prospect Street in downtown Chestertown.  KAH is one of two Kent county non-profits that Gov. Hogan recently announced as tax credit recipients for FY2022-2023.  We’re proud to share this honor with Shore Medical Center in Chestertown (SMCC), who received an allocation to help fund a new hematology analyzer. Whether the investment is in affordable housing or healthcare excellence, Kent County benefits.

And so do donors.  The Community Investment Tax Credit Program provides a tax credit equal to 50% of a donation of $500 or greater.  The tax credit can be applied to individual and corporate state income tax liabilities.   While the State finalizes award contracts, any donor now can request a Donor Acknowledgment Form from Kent Attainable Housing.  Completion of this form by donor and organization is required before any donation can be made.  Given this program’s attraction and the limited amount for this purpose, donors are encouraged to apply soon.

Kent Attainable Housing sold its second home in the spring of this year and expects its third home will be ready for sale at the end of summer.  Land has been purchased for an additional four homes within the next year for our applicant families who have been participating in home ownership classes and financial management classes over the past couple of years.  This tax credit allocation will help our fourth home, constructed on Prospect Avenue, be more affordable for our families who have limited incomes.

You can request the Donor Acknowledgment Form by emailing President Taylor Frey at kentattainablehousing@gmail.com. You can learn more about Kent Attainable Housing on their website at KentAttainableHousing.org.

Filed Under: Commerce Notes Tagged With: Chestertown Spy, commerce, Kent Attainable Housing, local news

A New Home with an Inspiring Story

May 11, 2022 by Spy Desk Leave a Comment

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Tamyra-Dupre Jones and Eugene Jones outside their new home. Photo by John Guthrie.

“It’s a beautiful home,” declared Tamyra Dupree-Jones and Eugene Jones. They were describing their new house on Lambs Meadow Road in Worton, a well-earned reward for their unwavering determination and self-discipline. Kent Attainable Housing (KAH) partnered with the family to help them overcome the hurdles that prevent many families whose income is below the county’s Annual Median Income (AMI) from becoming homeowners. Sharing the house are Tamyra’s mother, who has limited mobility and their 11 year-old daughter. The home is designed with special features, including a wheelchair ramp, strategically placed LED lights in the office area, and outdoor flood lights with motion sensors.

“We started saving in 2016, and gave ourselves five years to pay down our debt. I had to stop working in 2018 due to a vision loss, but we continued to budget in a much stricter way,” said Tamyra. “I leveraged my background in accounting, and my husband and I had a monthly meeting to review our budget and bills.” Recounting their journey, the couple kept coming back to the importance of saving. “We asked ourselves, ‘Is it a needed cost, or can it wait’? There are sacrifices, but the light at the end of the tunnel was getting this house.”

In 2020, the Jones connected with KAH, which arranged classes that included budgeting, buying a home, debt reduction and qualifying for a loan. Together, they developed an action play with goals and milestones. “KAH is deeply gratified to have played this role in helping such a deserving couple fulfill their dream,” said Taylor Frey, President of the KAH Board of Directors. Our work would not be possible without the commitment of our incredible volunteers and supporters.”

Tamyra praised all the KAH volunteers, starting with Dave and Ed Minch who designed the house to be engineered and constructed by a modular home builder. Upon Ed’s untimely death, Bob Ingersoll took over as the Construction Lead and completed the house supported by volunteers, Peter Sweetser, Zane Carter, Brooke Harwood, and Tom Lentell among others. Together they cleared the land, hauled away tons of debris, completed the foundation, shored up the completed modules, finished the interior trim and built the deck and wheelchair ramp. Eugene and other volunteers joined in to paint the interior of the house. ShoreRivers will donate a river-friendly yard to this KAH project this spring.

Board Director, Pastor Leon Frison, who encouraged the family to apply, said “Eugene and Tamyra are an inspiring example of what can be accomplished with determination and persistence.” Frison stressed that “the process can be long and applicants need to be patient, but with the kind of effort made by this family, homeownership can be in one’s future.“ More than forty families are participating in the process with KAH to learn about buying a home, managing their finances and qualifying for a mortgage.

The Jones’ new home awaiting landscaping. Photo by John Guthrie.

While the Jones family was preparing to move into their new home, a corps of KAH volunteers was hard at work completing the interior renovation of the third house that Kent Attainable Housing had bought to rehab and sell to one of its applicant families. This summer, KAH will begin work on their fourth house in Chestertown, using a $75,000 grant received from the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development.

Kent Attainable Housing believes that expanding homeownership in Kent County builds foundations for healthier, happier families and a stronger community. For more information about Kent Attainable Housing, Inc., go to kentattainablehousing.org or email kentattainablehousing@gmail.com.

Filed Under: News Notes Tagged With: Chestertown Spy, Kent Attainable Housing, local news

New Members for Kent Attainable Housing Board

October 12, 2021 by Spy Desk

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Kent Attainable Housing has announced additions to its Board of Directors. The local non-profit organization aims to create home ownership opportunities for local families in need of safe, decent, and affordable housing by building affordable homes. Construction on the first home, on College Avenue in Chestertown, was completed in 2020. The foundation has been completed for the second home, in Worton, and property is being purchased for a third home in Chestertown. New Board members over the last six months join the current members David Biehler, Carolyn Brooks, Jonathan Chace, Ronnie Edelman, Nivek Johnson, Pam Ortiz and Lani Seikaly.

Bob Altieri became President and CEO of Chesapeake Bank and Trust Co. in 2020. With over 35 years of banking experience, most recently, before joining Chesapeake Bank and Trust, he was the Chief Operating Officer for Baltimore Community Lending, LLC, a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) lending to minority businesses and developers in Baltimore City. He also serves as a Commissioner on the Maryland Home Improvement Commission.

Kathy Appel of Chestertown spent most of her career in the New York State Division of the Budget, focusing on the Medicaid program, affordable housing, transportation, and financing. In 1999, she became New York State’s Medicaid Director. After loving to Washington, D.C., she continued working in Medicaid policy and advocating for not-for-profit and government-operated health plans. She is a Board Member for Health Services for Children with Special Needs and a volunteer with the AARP Tax-Aide Program.

Terwana Brown of Worton, a certified pharmacy technician, is a COVID vaccine coordinator with the Kent County Health Department. A past owner of a printing business in Chestertown, Brown is also in the Leadership Ministry at Mt. Olive A.M.E Church., has extensive experience with the 4H Program, and has been a Board member of Kent Youth, Inc.

Taylor Frey recently relocated to Chestertown after graduating from Washington College in 2017 where he was student body president. He is employed by Tektronix, a subsidiary of Fortive, where he leads global talent management projects. He began his career as an intern with The Obama White House and the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation and has been a U.S. Council Representative with Habitat Humanity International.

Leon Frison of Millington recently retired as Director of Bands for Kent County Public Schools. Concerned about a lack of engagement of most minority boys while teaching General Music in Philadelphia, he became certified in Elementary Education in order to mentor and be a daily example for students. In Kent County he taught at the elementary level for 12 years and at the middle school level for 13 years. He is an ordained Bishop/Pastor in the Greater Highway Churches of Christ and has served on several local non-profit organization boards.

Xavier Jones, a recent Kent County High School graduate, is a licensed apprentice currently working with Henry Funeral Home. He previously worked as an apprentice with Bennie Smith Funeral Home. Xavier has volunteered with local conservation programs and is a leader in the National Funeral Directors Association.

“I am extremely pleased that these new Board members have agreed to serve as a director on our board. They each have expertise in some aspect that is critical to our mission, and their talents and involvement will definitely make us a stronger organization as we go forward,” said Lani Seikaly, President of the Board.

Over 40 families are now going through the process of qualifying to buy a KAH house. A typical family has two or three school-age or pre-school children.

“Each new board member brings a unique perspective and skillset to our organization. Their passion for community is vibrant and will translate well into our efforts to build a stronger community through homeownership. I look forward to learning and working with each of them,” said Darius Johnson, Executive Director of Kent Attainable Housing.

Kent Attainable Housing (KAH) believes that when homes are built for families in need, foundations are laid for healthier, happier, and more productive families and a stronger community. The further success of KAH depends on the support provided by the community. For information about Kent Attainable Housing, view their website at KentAttainableHousing.org or email kentattainablehousing@gmail.com.

Filed Under: News Notes Tagged With: Chestertown Spy, Kent Attainable Housing, local news

Kent Attainable Housing: Thank You to the Community

February 9, 2021 by Spy Desk

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Kent Attainable Housing, Inc. has reached a major milestone – building its first house for a local family in need.  With great excitement, on February 1, the family of five completed its move into a three-bedroom, modular home in Chestertown.

It is you, your neighbors, your friends and local organizations whom we want to thank for helping to make this happen.  You joined together in typical Kent County fashion to help deliver an affordable house to a working family earning not much more than minimum wage. You opened your wallets and pocketbooks, contributed your time and expertise, and donated appliances and furniture.  While it is impossible to list everyone who joined in this remarkable effort, we want especially to acknowledge:

Darren Tilghman and ShoreRivers
Genie Wootten and Raisin, Wootton, and Hurd Law Firm
Amanda Wallace and BB&T Bank
Unitarian Universalists of the Chester River
Michael Scott and Michael Scott Surveying
Wayne Rickert and Rebuilding Together Kent County
Alden Yeatman and Chestertown Builders
Steve Arnold and Energy Services Group
Jay Yerkes and Rosin Creek Collaborative
Greg Smith and Smith Law Firm
Bill Noll and Zane Carter and SCORE

To the more than 30 individuals who volunteered over 800 hours of their time to paint walls and doors, build porches, hang drywall, excavate walkways, install appliances, and do countless other tasks, we are so grateful.

Finally, this milestone could not have been reached without your generous donations.  Over 90 individuals and organizations contributed more than $100,000 to help subsidize the cost of our construction program for this and future houses and to make mortgages more affordable to their owners.  We thank these organizations for their contributions: Emanuel Episcopal Church, Bramble Foundation, Ed Hatcher and Angie Cannon Foundation, People’s Bank, Macintosh Family Fund, Doug Ashley Real Estate, Rotary Club, and the United Way of Kent County.

Please refer to our website at kentattainablehousing.org for a complete listing of everyone who contributed to this effort.

This is what it took to build our first house, to ready our first family for ownership, and to begin the process of meeting the needs of the more than thirty five families with which we are working .  Now we are moving on to construction of our second home in Worton.  We expect our program to accelerate and expand, making more homes available for ownership by working families.

We are so fortunate to live in a community where so many folks care so much about families less fortunate than themselves.

Sincerely,

Kent Attainable Housing, Inc. Board of Directors

Lani Seikaly, President
Ed Minch, Vice President
Kathy Appel, Treasurer
Jonathan Chace, Secretary
Dora Best
David Biehler
Carolyn Brooks
Ronnie Edelman
Cheryl Hurt
Nivek Johnson
Pam Ortiz

Filed Under: News Notes Tagged With: Chestertown Spy, Kent Attainable Housing, local news

Rebuilding Together Partners with KAH to Complete Garnet House

November 10, 2020 by Spy Desk

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Kent Attainable Housing, the new nonprofit that helps low-income families become homeowners, is now completing its first home for a family of five. Situated on the site of the former Garnet High School, the modular house, named the “Garnet House,” was delivered on October 28 with many excited community watching the dramatic arrival. “On a scale of one to ten, I’m at 11,” said Ed Minch, Project Director. He and others had worked tirelessly to get to this day when the new home would be delivered to a vacant lot on College Avenue.

Since the arrival of the home, volunteers from Rebuilding Together Kent County have been lending their resources and expertise to construct a front porch. “It’s a nice example of collaboration between local non-profits,” said Jon Hanley, Board Member for Rebuilding Together. Wearing masks and socially distancing, a cadre of volunteers has been hard at work since Tuesday. Rebuilding Together Kent County is an affiliate of a national organization which assists low income homeowners in repairing and improving disability access to homes.

Rebuilding Together board members, Jon Hanley and Pam Vogel constructing the front porch for the Garnet House. Photo by Genevieve Crocker

Gale Quist, a Heron Point resident, heard a talk about Rebuilding Together and said, “Sign me up!” Having had experience in building his own home, he is an eager first-time volunteer at Garnet House. Tom Eager was also working on the front porch last week. Retired from American Airlines, he said he knew basic carpentry and was learning to use a router. “I like to help out, and I like working with my hands,” said Tom.

Kent Attainable Housing volunteers will continue to complete the house and landscape the grounds. Property has been purchased in Worton for the second home. Applicant families matched with houses are required to attend 15 hours of free financial management and homeowner education. Kent Attainable Housing believes that when homes are built for families in need, foundations are laid for healthier, happier and more productive families and a stronger community. They plan to build 40 homes over the next decade.

For information about Kent Attainable Housing, call 443-282-0622 or email kentattainablehousing@gmail.com. Rebuilding Together Kent County is also accepting applications for assistance. Call 410-708-9936 or email info@rtkc.org. Both organizations welcome financial contributions and volunteer help.

Filed Under: News Notes Tagged With: Chestertown Spy, Kent Attainable Housing, local news

ShoreRivers Donates River-Friendly Yard to First Kent Attainable Home

October 14, 2020 by Spy Desk

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Kent Attainable Housing (KAH), the recently-formed non-profit organization, is pleased to announce receipt of a generous donation from ShoreRivers of a river-friendly yard for the Garnet House, its first home located across from Garnet Elementary School on College Avenue in Chestertown. In keeping with the organization’s mission to assist landowners, towns, and communities in funding and developing innovative pollution-reduction projects, ShoreRivers will provide the concept and the native plants, specifically tailored to the location. Volunteers will do the planting to create a low-maintenance yard that will serve as a demonstration of good land and water stewardship.

In a statement Darran Tilghman, ShoreRivers Director of Community Engagement, said, “ShoreRivers is so excited to partner with Kent Attainable Housing on its first home, and to collaborate with a family to become good stewards of our waterways. The river-friendly yard we are co-designing will mimic the natural environment to benefit water quality, native species, and our local ecosystem. In a time when it is easy to feel despondent about our environmental future, this is a hopeful truth: stitching together small habitats into conservation corridors may make the essential difference we need for all species, including our own, to thrive. Each of us can make positive change in our own backyard while enjoying beautiful, resilient native species.”

Photo: ShoreRivers staff Tim Trumbauer and Darran Tilghman (pre-COVID-19) explore the property of the first KAH home site with VP of Construction Ed Minch to create a river-friendly yard that ShoreRivers is donating to the Garnet House.

River-friendly yards feature colorful and low-maintenance native plants, create bird and pollinator habitat, improve soggy lawns and basements, and help to restore water quality in Eastern Shore waterways. ShoreRivers 24-page booklet ”River Friendly Yards” contains tips, strategies, recommended native  plants, and illustrations and  can be found at https://www.shorerivers.org/river-friendly-yards.

“We are very grateful to ShoreRivers for this wonderful contribution. Not only will it create a very attractive streetfront, but it will serve as a model for other homeowners who put a priority on conservation,” said Lani Seikaly, President of the KAH Board of Directors.

KAH is creating home ownership opportunities for local, low-families in need of safe, decent, and affordable housing. To date, more than twenty-four applicants have turned to Kent Attainable Housing, Inc. in search of affordable housing. Their first home is in production at the Beracah plant and scheduled to arrive on October 26 where volunteers will complete the home and landscape the grounds. KAH has secured a second piece of property to begin construction for another family.

More information about ShoreRivers can be found on their website at https://www.shorerivers.org.  You can view Kent Attainable Housing’s website at http://kentattainablehousing.org.

Filed Under: News Notes Tagged With: Chestertown Spy, Kent Attainable Housing, local news, Shore Rivers

Kent Attainable Housing Teams Up with BB&T

February 25, 2020 by Spy Desk

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Kent Attainable Housing (KAH), the new nonprofit building homes for low income ownership, is partnering with BB&T Bank now Truist to teach financial management skills to prospective homebuyers. Students in the current classes are all applicants for a KAH home and will need to have a good understanding of credit, loans, assets and liabilities and family budgeting as they become first time homeowners.

Amanda Wallace, cluster branch leader of Chestertown and Millington BB&T banks, teaches the financial classes. “I am passionate about financial wellness,” explained instructor Amanda Wallace at the first workshop. She has also taught folks at the Kent Family Center and students at Kent County High School.

Amanda Wallace with BB&T now Truist Bank teaching a Financial Literacy class. Photo by Muriel Cole

BB&T developed a number of financial knowledge classes for community members including high school students. Their Bank for Your Success curriculum covers three main topics: Banking Basics, Family Budgeting, Becoming a Homeowner.

Their Financial Foundations Program includes 23 online modules designed “to put you in more control of your financial life.” These free interactive courses are available to anyone who signs onto the BB&T website at https://www.bbt.com/education-center.html.

“We are so appreciative,” shares KAH president Lani Seikaly, “that BB&T has developed this extensive financial literacy curriculum for adults and high school students and for Amanda’s knowledge and passion in teaching it. Our applicants have told us that if they had only known known earlier what they are now learning, they would have made very different financial decisions in their younger lives.”

During the first class, Understanding and Improving your Credit Score, Wallace identified some common mistakes that can hurt your credit rating.
Maxing out a credit card
Closing an old account
Applying for too many things in a short amount of time
Not using credit at all
Only using one type of credit

To access one’s credit report, Wallace recommends the free web site https://www.annualcreditreport.com/index.action.

Wallace has also led a workshop on Family Budgeting, a Credit Cards and Loans class and has added another Improving your Credit Score workshop coming up. Additional classes will be offered as applicant needs are identified.

For information about Kent Attainable Housing, call 443 282 0622 or email kentattainablehousing@gmail.com.

Photo caption:
Amanda Wallace with BB&T now Truist Bank teaching a Financial Literacy class. Photo by Muriel Cole

Filed Under: Commerce Homepage Tagged With: Kent Attainable Housing

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