Open Hearts Place transforms lives in Burke County amidst housing shortage

“Oh! The places you’ll go, today is your day! Your mountain is waiting, so … get on your way!” — Dr. Seuss, “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!”

The whimsical Dr. Seuss classic resonates with Cassandra, one of the first residents of the Open Hearts Place (OHP). She is one of six families in the program with a sole mission to provide intermediate housing and programs to promote family self-efficiency while helping tackle the Burke County housing shortage.

Through a three-year cycle, families move into their homes under an affordable rent amount, enter into a series of programs, and come out of it equipped with the knowledge to sustain a house on their own.

Headquartered at St. Matthews Church in Morganton, the program has already helped three families housed beside the church as part of Phase One — homes built using funds from the Open Hearts Bakery, donations, and grants. Phase Two includes three more homes, located on wooded property near Mull Elementary School.

In 2009, the church established its bakery — one of the funding avenues for the housing projects. The bakery is located within the church and its baked goods are found in various markets like Food Matters, the Morganton Farmers Market, and Lake James Produce.

Cassandra and OHP supporters came together on a hot summer afternoon at the church for a cookout to celebrate how far they have come and meet a new face in leadership.

Surrounded by the comforting smells of an old-fashioned cookout on Sunday, June 23, Cassandra opened up about her story and what OHP has taught her.

Self-confidence and growth

Cassandra and her 5-year-old son are coming up on the end of their three-year cycle and soon, they will be looking for another home.

OHP crossed her path when her coworker/friend slid her an application for the program. After several rounds of interviewing, her application turned into a life-changing housing opportunity for her family.

“Before then, if you think about Bon Jovi’s ‘Livin’ on a Prayer,’ that’s exactly what I and my son were going through,” Cassandra said. “We come from living in basically the ‘hood,’ Center Street, to here. Open Hearts Place has done so much for my family.”

In the past three years, she has moved through the various programs that OHP offers through Burke County United Way (BCUW), Blue Ridge Community Action, and Burke County CIRCLES Initiative.

Cassandra said these programs have instilled a newfound self-confidence in herself and the ability to transition into a new home.

“You should have seen me when I first went into the program … I feel like I had no village and now, I have expanded my village,” Cassandra said. “Just knowing I can take care of me and my son and having that support. It goes a long way.”

A village

Speaking of a village, OHP is expanding its efforts to tackle the housing crisis by partnering on a new community of starter homes on 45 acres in western Burke County. The organization has a secured funder and is currently in the design phase for the homes.

As they are working on plans, cofounder Madelyn Russ said they have found a developer based in Hildebran who wants to work with the nonprofit on their housing mission. Additionally, the nonprofit is continuing to raise funds for its project.

The community is slated for about 125 homes. OHP plans to build 10-15 of those homes and Habitat for Humanity will oversee 10, Russ said. The remaining homes will be available on the open market.

Russ said that their original goal with OHP was to build small homes for families to live in for three years, but with the housing shortage, the organization feels they need to step up and take on this new project.

“It’s not going to cure itself. Our community and government need to get together to do something unique,” Russ said.

Saving for down payments

The three new families currently in OHP have completed the CIRCLES program and are beginning the BCUW financial program.

The two Phase One families will reach the end of their three-year term in March 2025 and are preparing now to find their new homes. Rest assured, Russ said, the families will not be kicked out in March, but she hopes they will find a home amidst the housing shortage.

OHP helps the families build up a down payment or required rent deposits. The OHP rental amount, called a "participation fee,” is no more than 30% of a family’s income. And 25% of that is placed in a family savings account. These families can use this money as a down payment, deposit, or for other housing expenses.

A new case manager

In other news, the organization has welcomed a new face. Christy Dunbar is the new project director/case manager who will work directly with families. Kenya Hemphill is leaving the organization.

Introduced during the cookout, Dunbar will continue developing the program while working closely with the families to gain coping skills and create their Personal Development Plan (PDP). Their PDP is the family's steps and goals to qualify for a mortgage and purchase a home.

Additionally, Russ said that OHP is recruiting allies to serve as mentors for the participants. Dunbar will help train and work alongside the allies and families.

“I feel very honored to be part of God fulfilling his promise for the people that we serve,” Dunbar said. “I’m incredibly excited about growing OHP so that we can serve more people in the community. Hopefully, we created a replica model so that other communities across our state and even country can look at it and say, ‘Wow, they have something really unique.’”

Dr. Seuss would certainly approve. OHP gives Cassandra and other families a helping hand to realize all the places they can go.