AVERY COUNTY, NC (CelebrityAccess) – Chief Cares, the nonprofit founded by country music star Eric Church and his wife Katherine in 2013, has officially broken ground on its first mid- to long-term housing development to support families displaced by Hurricane Helene. The development, Blue Haven, is located in Avery County, North Carolina, an area close to Church’s heart and home.
Standing before local leaders, supporters, and community members on Friday (April 11), Church shared a deeply personal vision for the future. “The land we stand on today sits in the heart of a county that has meant so much to me,” he said. “This is a place my family and I are proud to call home… Mountain people, my people.”
In the wake of Hurricane Helene, which devastated parts of Western North Carolina in September 2024, Chief Cares shifted its mission to address a growing need: keeping people in their communities after disaster strikes. While emergency relief efforts are critical in the immediate aftermath, Chief Cares is focused on what happens next – on providing families with a path to stability, homeownership and dignity.
This effort is being launched under a new initiative called Blueprint for the Blue Ridge, a scalable model for disaster recovery rooted in housing, community and mid- to long-term support.
“We realized that keeping the people in their communities after disaster was a problem with no real solution. We wanted to change that,” Church said. “This is truly a hand up, not a handout. Dignity and community are key to the long-term success of the Blueprint.”
Blue Haven will offer roughly 45 homes across a mix of one-, two-, and three-bedroom floorplans. Chief Cares and its partners are acquiring the land, preparing the infrastructure, and building the homes. Selected families’ housing expenses will be financially assisted to allow them to live affordably for up to three years while they rebuild their lives. At the end of that term, families will have the option to purchase their homes – with support from Chief Cares – to access any available resources.
“The community in this extraordinary setting will provide a shelter of time for its members and owners,” Church said. “We put a house where your home is, so that house can be your home.”
Work is already underway, and families are expected to move in by late summer 2025.
While Blue Haven is the first, it won’t be the last. Chief Cares has plans to expand into neighboring counties, with the ultimate goal of creating a national model for disaster recovery rooted in permanence, pride and place.
“It is our hope and belief that this will provide guidance and support to other communities facing devastation,” Church said. “A map to a destination of keeping those communities intact.”
