Civic Association Learns Housing Sewanee History; Group Debates Classifieds Use Policies

by Leslie Lytle, Messenger Staff Writer

At the Oct. 15 Sewanee Civic Association dinner meeting, the membership reviewed responses to a survey taken by the group about the use policy of the Classifieds email list. After hearing diverse opinions about the number of weekly posts by for-profit businesses, the membership voted to leave the policy unchanged. Following the business portion of the meeting, Dixon Myers talked to the group about Housing Sewanee, a local nonprofit formed to build affordable homes for low-income residents in the community.

The Civic Association administers the Sewanee Classifieds email list. Forty percent of Classifieds users responded to the use-policy survey. At issue were the no-political-messaging rule and the rule allowing three posts per week by for-profit businesses. An overwhelming majority, 92 percent, agreed with the no-political-messaging rule. Results were mixed on the use by for-profit businesses rule, but the largest number of those responding preferred only one post per week by for-profit businesses, fewer than the three posts the policy allows. After much discussion, no changes were made: the no-political-messaging rule and three-posts-per-week by businesses rule remain in effect. 

For detailed survey results see the Civic Association website, <www.sewaneecivic.wordpress.com>.

Dixon Myers, coordinator of outreach ministries at the University, described how Housing Sewanee works to address the problem of substandard housing in the community. When Myers came to Sewanee in 1991, he was appalled by the prevalence of dilapidated homes in certain areas. “Parts of the community were embarrassing,” Myers said.

They explored an affiliation with Habitat for Humanity, but there were issues of concern: Habitat had no experience working with leased land (such as on the Domain), and Habitat was interested in a three-county effort. Myers wanted to address the housing problem in the Sewanee community.

Since 1993, Housing Sewanee has built 15 homes, ten on the Domain and five off the Domain. The clients include senior citizens, single mothers and people with chronic health conditions. Five of the homes built replaced house trailers. One project was a rebuild of a home that burned.

Myers said that the two top predictors of a young person going to college are whether the parents are college-educated and if the family owns its own home. He was happy to report that the son of a single mother aided by Housing Sewanee 10 years ago became the family’s first college graduate.

Volunteers, often University students, do most of the labor on Housing Sewanee homes. Housing Sewanee is financed by Community Chest gifts (a Civic Association project), mortgage repayments, selling concessions at football games, summer groups who want to become part of the Housing Sewanee experience and pay to help build a home, and donations by individuals and groups. Donations can be made to Housing Sewanee, P. O. Box 3152, Sewanee, TN 37375.

It costs Housing Sewanee about $50,000 to build a home, with the structure valued at approximately $90,000 on completion. Clients pay for their homes with a 30-year, no-interest mortgage. For homes on the Domain, the lease fee and ground rent are waived for the first 10 years.

“When we select a family, it’s a gamble,” Myers conceded, acknowledging sometimes clients get in a financial bind and can’t make their payments on time. But for Myers, taking risks is part of what Housing Sewanee is about. He once told the Housing Sewanee board, “If we’re not building houses for risky situations, we’re not doing our job.” 

In other business, the Civic Association voted to approve Cameron Swallow as secretary and Aaron Welch as member-at-large. The Civic Association’s next meeting is Nov. 19.