“Decent, affordable housing should be a basic right for everybody in this country.
The reason is simple: without stable shelter, everything else falls apart.”
Matthew Desmond
Pulitzer Prize Winner and Professor of Sociology, Princeton
Smoky Mountain Housing Partnership (SMHP) is the affordable housing division of Mountain Projects, Inc., a community action agency that has served the southern mountains of Western North Carolina since 1965. Mountain Projects has several long-running initiatives to assist homeowners in need, and Smoky Mountain Housing Partnership is the newest addition to its lineup of programs. SMHP generates affordable housing and home buying services and counseling for essential workers in Haywood and Jackson Counties.
SMHP understands the rising costs of home ownership in Western North Carolina. It is our promise to continue as a force in the effort to provide mountain residents with affordable, safe and clean places to call home. We have embarked on an ambitious drive to build affordable homes throughout the region.
You can join our effort to address the lack of affordable housing in Haywood and Jackson counties by donating funds, materials, and time.
The Smoky Mountain Housing Partnership is not accepting new applications for its Attainable Housing Programs at this time. Rising construction, infrastructure, financing, and regulatory costs continue to make it challenging to develop affordable homes for low-income individuals and families. Our current projects are in various stages of planning, environmental review, infrastructure development, or construction, and no homes are currently available for purchase. As a result, we are not accepting applications or maintaining an active buyer selection process. Individuals who have already completed the qualification process will continue to receive updates as any major milestones are reached.
The Harkins Avenue project is planned as an attainable homeownership development, with infrastructure funding provided through HUD Disaster Recovery and North Carolina Office of Recovery and Resiliency (NCORR) programs. Since the project was initiated, rising construction, infrastructure, and financing costs, along with additional site development requirements, have increased overall costs. At the same time, public funding programs limit home sale prices to ensure affordability for income-qualified buyers. Smoky Mountain Housing Partnership and its partners are evaluating the best path forward to meet community housing needs while maintaining long-term affordability and financial sustainability.
The Bethel Village development, which includes Self-Help Housing and attainable homeownership opportunities, continues to move forward. However, Smoky Mountain Housing Partnership is not accepting new applications for this project at this time. As additional funding becomes available for infrastructure and pre-construction activities, application opportunities will be announced through our website and other communication channels.
The Second Avenue project in Sylva has been completed, and all homes are occupied.
The Webster Village project is progressing through environmental review and site preparation activities. Located on Little Savannah Road near Webster, the development is a partnership among Mountain Projects, Givens Communities, Western Carolina University, and Jackson County. The project is intended to increase housing opportunities in Jackson County through a mix of housing options designed to serve low-income seniors, professional households, and first-time homebuyers. The project remains in the planning and pre-development phase and has not yet reached the application stage. Additional information will be shared as development milestones are completed.
Our mission remains unchanged: to provide safe, quality, and attainable housing for individuals, working families, and seniors in Haywood and Jackson counties.
Project timelines depend on environmental reviews, funding, infrastructure, regulatory approvals, and market conditions, so future application dates are not yet available. Smoky Mountain Housing Partnership does not maintain a waiting list for homeownership opportunities. When applications open, announcements will be made on our website, social media, and through partner organizations. Thank you for your patience as we navigate the challenges of affordable housing development.
Project updates and future application opportunities will be shared through our website and other communication channels as they become available. For questions, please contact Smoky Mountain Housing Partnership at [email protected].
No. Smoky Mountain Housing Partnership is not accepting applications for affordable homeownership opportunities at this time.
Our current projects are in various stages of planning, environmental review, infrastructure development, funding review, or construction. Because homes are not yet available for purchase, we are not accepting applications at this time.
Future application dates have not been determined. Project timelines depend on environmental reviews, funding availability, infrastructure requirements, regulatory approvals, and market conditions.
No. Smoky Mountain Housing Partnership is not maintaining a waiting list for future homeownership opportunities.
Announcements will be posted on the Mountain Projects website, social media channels, and through community partners. We encourage interested individuals and families to monitor these communication channels for updates.
No. None of our current affordable housing developments are accepting applications at this time.
Smoky Mountain Housing Partnership and its partners continue to evaluate development options for the Harkins Avenue property. Project planning is ongoing, and updates will be shared as significant milestones are reached.
Development planning is ongoing. Housing types, project design, funding sources, and timelines may be adjusted as we evaluate the best ways to meet community housing needs while maintaining long-term affordability and financial sustainability.
No. Homes cannot be reserved before an official application process is announced.
Income requirements vary by project and funding source. Eligibility criteria will be announced when applications become available.
No. However, Mountain Projects administers the Section 8 Housing program. To learn more about Section 8 Housing Vouchers, visit this link: https://mountainprojects.org/section-8.
If you have completed the qualification process with Smoky Mountain Housing Partnership, we will continue to provide updates as significant project milestones are reached. Please note that eligibility determinations are tied to specific projects and funding sources, and previously submitted income, credit, and household information may need to be updated or resubmitted when future application opportunities become available.
If you submitted materials but did not complete the qualification process, you may be asked to begin a new application when future opportunities are announced.
As always, we encourage all clients to take advantage of our Housing Resources Guide at https://smokymountainhousing.org/ and to make every effort to seek additional opportunities and resources.
Attainable housing developments require environmental reviews, extensive infrastructure planning, financing approvals, regulatory compliance, and coordination among multiple funding partners. And then, utilizing grant funding for affordable housing projects requires that we work within the funders’ additional requirements. Each of these steps helps ensure that housing is safe, financially sustainable, and affordable for future residents.
Please contact Smoky Mountain Housing Partnership at [email protected]
Smoky Mountain Housing Partnership staff took part in the Housing Assistance Council’s Understanding Your Market Cohort, seeking broader understanding of market influences in our service
Tia Pike, Smoky Mountain Housing Partnership, Patsy Davis, Executive Director, Mountain Projects, Melonie Gross, Mission Chair Elder, First Presbyterian Church of Waynesville and Rev. Holly
Market Analysis
Housing is affordable when it comprises no more than 30% of the family’s income. Families that spend more than this on housing are cost-burdened.
needed to work to afford a 2 bedroom apartment
minimum wage
National Low Income Housing Coalition
the need for
Elderly populations face numerous housing challenges due to health concerns, fixed-incomes, affordability, and accessibility.
A tourism based service economy and lack of relevant career skills prevent some individuals and families from obtaining a high paying job.
There is a lack of homes in the current market that are $150,000 and lower for our Teachers, Police Officers, Firemen, Single Parents, and other Public Servants.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination against its customers, employees, and applicants for employment on the bases of race, color, national origin, age, disability, sex, gender identity, religion, reprisal, and where applicable, political beliefs, marital status, familial or parental status, sexual orientation, or if all or part of an individual’s income is derived from any public assistance program, or protected genetic information in employment or in any program or activity conducted or funded by the Department. (Not all prohibited bases will apply to all programs and/or employment activities.)
If you wish to file a Civil Rights program complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, found online, or at any USDA office, or call (866) 632-9992 to request the form. You may also write a letter containing all of the information requested in the form. Send your completed complaint form or letter to us by mail at U.S. Department of Agriculture, Director, Office of Adjudication, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250-9410, by fax (202) 690-7442 or email at [email protected]