Frontier Housing: The Strange Family Story

Harold and Martha Strange have been married for 46 years. “That’s a long time to be with the same person,” Harold gently teases. In that time, they have raised five children of their own and now, Harold, 74 and Martha, 61 are raising three of their grandchildren. Two of the children are afflicted with Cystic Fibrosis, a condition that often presents a great financial burden to affected families.

Mr. and Mrs. Strange

Nonetheless, the couple never fell short as parents and grandparents. Supporting their ever growing family on a fixed income meant that necessary home repairs often fell by the wayside. The Stranges’ previous house, an aging single-section mobile home with additions, was deteriorating. “It was bad,” Martha remembers. “Every room in it leaked. The water in the closets destroyed all my clothes. Every time I turned around, something else was falling apart.”

The Stranges were referred to Frontier Housing, www.frontierhousing.org, an affordable housing nonprofit in Eastern Kentucky by USDA Rural Development. The agency helped the family to finance the installation of a replacement septic tank after the Stranges were reported to the authorities for the grim state of their property due to their malfunctioning septic system.

The Strange Family's Mobile Home

“Somebody turned me in to the health department,” Martha gestures to the neighborhood. After the replacement of the septic system, Frontier began the process of building a new home for the Strange family.

On a fixed monthly income and with three children in the household, the family needed a payment that was affordable as well as a safe, energy efficient home. According to Frontier Lending Director Cindy Faulkner, “Through the Rural Development 502 financing program, the Stranges qualified for a 1%, 33 year loan. Had this program not been available this family would have been looking at conventional market rates of approximately 5.25% with a maximum term of 30 years. Under this scenario, their total monthly housing cost would have been approximately $278 higher than their current payment. They could not afford that.”

Through an award from NeighborWorks® America, Frontier Housing was able to provide the Stranges with additional funds to complete their financing package. These funds allow for low-interest, fixed rate loans for the replacement of dilapidated, older mobile homes that are extremely inefficient creating high utility costs and substandard living conditions.

“I’m proud of it,” remarks Harold. At his side, their four year-old granddaughter Kelly Sue beams and nods enthusiastically. Martha Strange wipes tears from her eyes, “I’m a crier,” she says. “I just can’t believe we didn’t do something like this sooner. I love my kids and I want to do what I can for them, for their future.”

The Strange Family's New Home

For additional information, please contact: Sherry Farley – President & CEO - (606) 784-2131 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting            (606) 784-2131      end_of_the_skype_highlighting, x231 or(606) 356-0073 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting            (606) 356-0073      end_of_the_skype_highlighting (m).

Frontier Housing, www.frontierhousing.org, an affordable housing nonprofit for 36 years in Eastern Kentucky, builds and develops single and multi-family housing. Frontier, a NeighborWorks® Network Homeownership Center with an Exemplary rating, is the largest residential builder in its service area and the largest nonprofit builder in Kentucky. As a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) and a NeighborWorks® Full Cycle Lender, Frontier has a reputation of ensuring sustainable homeownership with low foreclosure rates of less than 1%.