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,” said Church. “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 added. “This isn’t about short-term solutions. It’s about long-term hope.”

About Chief Cares:
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.

For more information or to apply, visit ChiefCares.org.

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, called 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 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.”

Chief Cares: A Renewed Mission

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.”

About Blue Haven

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 in accessing 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.

A Scalable Model for the Nation

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.”

For more information, visit ChiefCares.org.

Eric Church and Chief Cares Expand Commitment to Rebuilding Western North Carolina

Eric Church & Chief Cares Break Ground in Avery County, NC