Creative Compassion is expanding its reach in the Upper Cumberland with the opening of a new Crossville housing center designed to streamline home repairs and support residents aging in place.
Development Director Casey Sherrill said the organization provides affordable housing options and low-interest mortgages across 14 counties. Sherrill said the new Cumberland County location includes dedicated space for homeowners to select materials for new construction projects and an inventory area to help manage costs for repair programs.
“By having a better location, it’s been unbelievable the amount of foot traffic that has increased our awareness,” Sherrill said. “Location, location, location is a true thing, especially in this industry, it has helped us tremendously get the word out about Creative and what we can do for the people.”
Sherrill said the facility features a professional environment where clients can view cabinets, countertops, and paint colors in person rather than at a construction site. Sherrill said the central office also allows the staff to build stronger relationships with clients, some of whom eventually join the organization’s board or volunteer pool.
“It’s been extremely helpful and just adds a layer of relationship building for us because we’re able to spend some more time with them, both in the office and in the field, but typically that’s our general contractor that gets to do all of that in the field,” Sherrill said. “So it’s definitely allowed us to build better relationships with them as well and they honestly have become such great advocates for us.”
Sherrill said the building includes a training room that will host educational sessions on housing and financial budgeting. Sherrill said these resources are vital for the area’s aging population, many of whom live on fixed incomes and struggle to maintain their properties.
“We have a lot of young people moving in and because our housing market is so competitive, the pricing is just sometimes just unattainable for young people,” Sherrill said. “A police officer and a teacher, you know, they’re married and they’re ready to move in, get a new home and we’re able to come in and offer them a really strategic plan that financially sets them up for success and hopefully just helps the entire ecosystem of the community being able to support the housing and also bringing in and retaining great young people that are wanting to be in the workforce.”
Sherrill said the “aging in place” initiative focuses on mobility modifications such as ramps and safety bars to help seniors remain in their homes safely. Sherrill said the organization works with occupational therapists to ensure residents can function independently after returning from hospital stays.
“We want to bring them back home because we want to be able to leave a home that’s in great shape and a home that’s in, has been well taken care of so that when things do happen and those homes pass along to the next generation, they’re contributing to our housing ecosystem and they’re just in much better shape than they would have been had things just got left behind,” Sherrill said. “So we have a lot, we have a lot of things going for that one, but the big thing that we see is people just need some assistance getting their home prepared for them to age, whether it’s having access in and out, making sure that they can take a shower by themselves with safety bars.”
Sherrill said the timing of the expansion aligns with National Homeownership Month, a period focused on helping people maintain and afford their homes. Sherrill said the organization is currently assisting a resident with home modifications to accommodate an elderly parent moving into the household.
“We truly enjoy it and to celebrate it in the same month because it’s a, it’s definitely a focus at the state level of being able to get people in homes and make sure that they understand how to maintain them and how to financially afford them,” Sherrill said. “And so we think it’s a perfect timing to be able to meet with a lot of our city and county and state officials and then of course a lot of our funders will be here.”
The ribbon cutting for the new facility at 1535 Sparta Highway is scheduled for Thursday.
