Samaritan's Purse Gives 16 Kentucky Families New Homes in 'New Hope Acres' Subdivision

Samaritan's Purse is building a new 60-home subdivision for tornado survivors in Mayfield, Kentucky. Franklin Graham recently dedicated the first 16 homes to God, giving the keys to each of the families. 

As CBN News reported, a catastrophic EF-4 tornado sliced through Mayfield in December 2021, destroying 1,300 homes, businesses, and church buildings. The twister was one of four that hit Kentucky including one with an extraordinarily long path of more than 200 miles, possibly the longest in U.S. history.  

Franklin Graham, president of Samaritan's Purse, addresses the audience at the dedication of 16 new homes on Sept. 29 at the New Hope Acres subdivision in Mayfield, Kentucky. (All photos courtesy: Samaritan's Purse)

In a special dedication ceremony Friday, Graham, president of Samaritan's Purse, welcomed the families to their brand new homes in the New Hope Acres subdivision. All of the homes are free and are being given to first-time homeowners. 

According to the international disaster relief organization, each of the new houses comes fully furnished with two-, three-, and four-bedroom layouts. In addition, every home has a built-in storm room designed to withstand an EF-5 tornado.  

"After the storm, I was here on Christmas Eve and we served a dinner," Graham told the audience at the Sept. 29 dedication. "We began to look at the despair and the hopelessness that so many people were going through. I was talking to the Lord and asking what can we do, how can we help. How can we help make a difference?"

"God provided the funding and we realized He wanted us to do something," he continued. "We decided to come here and build 60 homes. We come here today not only to thank God but to dedicate this property, these houses, and the families who will be living here. We dedicate them all to God and His glory."

Graham also explained how the still-under-construction subdivision got its name. 

"There were so many people here who had no hope and this is the new hope right here," he said. "And that hope is found in God and His Son Jesus Christ. We wanted a place in this community that spelled out hope."

In a Facebook post, Graham shared photos of the event and wrote, "It was great to see the joy and excitement as they walked into their new homes for the first time and we give all of the glory to God!"

More than 1,600 additional Samaritan's Purse volunteers have helped with the Mayfield rebuild project so far, the organization said. 

Mayfield Mayor Kathy Stewart O'Nan also spoke at the dedication of the new subdivision. 

"On Dec. 12 {2021}, the Mayfield fire chief said to me that Samaritan's Purse was coming and that's an army," she said. "To realize they were headed our way, this army that was going to help us recover, was a comforting thought. And they've been comforting us ever since. This army has become a part of our community. Their footprint will forever be upon us and you will forever be in our hearts."

Graham greets new homeowner Latasha Hayes and her husband Dennis during Friday's event. 

Latasha and Dennis Hayes received one of the newly completed houses after the storm destroyed their home almost two years ago. Latasha told KFVS-TV the journey since the tornado has been hard, but she's never felt so blessed. 

"It's a fresh start, a new start, that's what it means, a new start," she said. "And with that, it's a new start to us 16 families that have been dedicated in today and 16 more after and after."

All of the families receiving a new home participated in "Foundations of Hope," a 6-week course designed and facilitated by local Mayfield churches for first-time homeowners to grow in their financial management skills and other aspects of disaster recovery, according to Samaritan's Purse. 

Graham and two of the new homeowners share a moment to celebrate what God has done. 

In addition to the 60 homes in New Hope Acres, the nonprofit is building 21 additional homes in the greater Mayfield area. Fourteen of those houses have already been completed.

The organization said it is also replacing the furniture for 100 families in the city. It has also installed 174 in-ground storm shelters capable of withstanding the winds of an EF-5 tornado.

Based in Boone, North Carolina, Samaritan's Purse responds to the physical and spiritual needs of individuals in crisis situations—especially in locations where few others are working. The organization works in more than 100 countries to provide aid to victims of war, disease, disaster, poverty, famine, and persecution. 

For more information, visit SamaritansPurse.org.

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