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COAP's History
What COAP Is & Does
How COAP Works
COAP Personnel
Directions to COAP
Contact Information
COAP - Christian Outreach with Appalachian People,
Inc. - has its roots in a 1977 grass roots interdenominational relief effort,
which responded to a devastating flood that caused over $100 million in
damages to Harlan County, KY homes. After the area cleanup and relocation
of families, it was realized that there was an acute need for long-term,
sustainable housing of good
quality for residents throughout the county, many
of whom were living in remnants of company coal towns, inside crumbling
thirty to fifty year-old houses. In 1980, a Mennonite volunteer, Marlin
Yoder, helped to create Christian Family Housing Services (CFHS), which
sought to help low-income families with such needs, which in turn led to
the formation of COAP in March of 1983. COAP, an independent, non-profit
corporation, replaced and subsequently further developed the work of CFHS
starting in January 1984.
COAP's mission is 'to help provide safe, warm, and
dry housing with low and very-low income residents of Harlan County;' we
do this through the construction of new homes, and the rehabilitation and/or
repair of existing ones. COAP is not operated nor owned
by a family, a religious group, or an individual. We are a non-profit
organization, with a board of directors, six staff members, and nine full-time
carpenters. COAP employs a director, a home loan fund manager, a
program manager, two housing counselors, a construction manager, and an
assistant construction manager. There are also seasonal staff as
well. We host volunteers, both individuals and workcamp groups, who
help in all phases of home rehabilitation and construction, save for foundation
laying, plumbing, and advanced electrical work. COAP also hosts volunteers
of all types, including youth, adults, seniors, Christians, non-Christians,
churches, colleges, high schools, and fraternal organizations, and serve
all kinds of people as well.
Although there is a long waiting list for work, no advertising nor door-to-door canvas-sing is done; neither are there inspection tours of the area for dilapidated houses. Most clients hear about COAP through word-of-mouth, based on projects which are done throughout the county, while some read about the organization through occasional newspaper articles.
Families essentially buy new houses from COAP, which designs and builds them, with money loaned to the families from our home loan fund and/or financial institutions, such as the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the Department of Agriculture's Rural Development (RD), or the Bank of Harlan, often with COAP being a pass-through agent. Through the home loan fund, which is comprised of volunteer fees, loan repayments, and some pass-through money, families are able to receive 0% and 1% interest loans on selected projects. Rehabilitation work, which is done on clients' already-owned houses, can be financed through RD and/or through COAP's revolving home loan fund. New houses cost clients in total about $50,000, while rehabilitation projects range between a few hundred and a few thousand dollars. Monthly payments typically range from $150 to $300 for new homes, and can be as low as $20 for rehab jobs.
Because COAP is driven by an ever-increasing waiting list for housing assistance, we utilize many different support sources, from both the public and private sectors, in order to serve more families. In the first nine months of calendar year 2001, COAP's support breakdown is as follows:
Private - 56% (Volunteer Program:
36%, Local Banks and Other: 20%)
Public - 44% (Farmer's Home
Administration (RD), HUD, Commonwealth of Kentucky)
COAP can not rely entirely on local sources of charitable donations (any donations which are made to COAP are tax deductible, and annual audited financial statements are available by request) to fund itself, as this type of support has been very limited. This has ostensibly been due to the near lack of a middle class of local residents and the high proportion of absentee property owners in Harlan County.
Regardless of financing, an applicant must qualify
on several levels to be eligible for help from COAP. S/he must have
clear title to the land or structure where the work will be done, must
have reasonably good
credit,
and must have verifiable sources of income, which, along, with the income
of the applicant's entire household, must fall within certain limits.
If there are unresolvable problems with any of these, COAP may not be able
to help that particular applicant. Once a client has been cleared
for a project, the said house is built or repaired, depending on the availability
of workers; the client signs a mortgage and/or promissory note, and begins
making monthly payments; and moves in. The entire process of receiving
a new house, from pre-application to move-in, can take several months,
while a rehab project may take much less time.
COAP's continuing assistance throughout the housing process includes credit and loan counseling, in addition to hosting meetings between clients and financial institution representatives, processing related paperwork, inspecting and purchansing property, ordering and delivering materials, building or rehabilitating the home, and the overall coordination of the contruction project with surveyors, carpenters, sub-contractors, electricians, plumbers, volunteer labor, and all inspections, codes and regulations.
Because of the timeline involved in building and rehabilitating houses, volunteer groups are assigned on a rolling basis to a particular project by COAP's construction coordinator, who attempts to match the skill level and number of volunteers with both the right job and the right carpenter(s). All of COAP's carpenters, many of whom have both been with the organization for several years, and all of whom are Harlan County natives, are responsible for directing, supervising, and teaching the volunteers, and for insuring that construction is done correctly and is of high quality.
Through volunteer labor, COAP is able to substantially reduce the cost of each work project, saving clients money, enabling us to do more work and thus serve more people. Volunteer labor hours are also used to match federal and state dollars, thus bringing more federal money into the organization, which allows COAP to serve more people. Part of the volunteer fee which each workcamper pays goes into COAP's revolving home loan fund, which allows the organization to make very low-interest supplemental or primary loans to clients. Volunteers also provide several intangible, but very important things: friendships with local families, long-term relationships with carpenters, new and different ideas brought into town, and the work, which becomes a visible witness of people's willingness to serve and love. COAP's volunteers mean a great deal to us; without their faithfulness and hard work, COAP would fall short of our mission.
The entire housing process at COAP, although an involved,
detailed one, has worked well, due in part to constant re-evaluation and
tuning. The onus of responsibility, both in the application process
and in buying a home, falls onto the client, and although not every client
is up to this, it benefits and rewards those who follow through.
The things which perhaps most middle-class people take for granted, such
as building equity through mortgage payments, and creating and establishing
good credit, are concepts which are new to many of COAP's clients, in part
due to the company towns, stores, and related history, culture, and laws
of the Harlan County area, which have fostered a climate of indebtedness.
It is a vital part of COAP's mission that we enable our clients and families
to understand the implication of long-term debt and to provide them an
opportunity to share in the 'American Dream' of home ownership and equity.
IN MEMORIUM
James Robert Day
Birth: April 27, 1938
Harlan, KY
Death: March 28, 2000
Harlan, KY
It is with profound sorrow that
COAP lets you know that James R. Day, one of
our long-time carpenters, passed
away after being hit by a car.
James was on his way back to
the COAP office after a day of building a new
house with volunteers, when
a very strong wind gust blew a ladder off a truck
in front of him. (There
had been winds of 40 mph that day.) James stopped
his vehicle, and went out to
get the ladder, which was in the passing lane of
the road. Although there
were many cars which stopped, one driver apparently
didn't see what had happened,
and, while passing the other cars, struck
James, who died soon after arriving
at the hospital.
James was a humorous, kind, quiet,
intelligent, insightful, and God-fearing
man, whose patience and easy-going
nature often were the keys in making some
volunteer's week a joy.
We already miss him dearly. If anyone has any
pictures of James, we are compiling
a scrapbook for both his family and our
organization. Please send
them to us at the address listed elsewhere on this
site. Thank you.
The poems that follow are drawn
from James' first volume of poetry, yet
available by sending $10.00
to COAP. A second volume is now available,
also for $10.00.
Observation
Peace is fleeting and accomplishments
are rare if measured in terms of
temporal mortality, but occasional
gratitude can be sufficient if tempered by
love and permanent hope.
A Poor Man's Reward
His years were long upon the
land;
He grasped each day with calloused
hand,
Knowing that his lot was to
provide.
To protect his children and
his wife,
He would gladly spend his life,
Laying all his pains and problems
to the side.
His body was scarred and the
wrinkles came,
Still, he owned little but his
name;
Through all life thrust upon
him, that stayed clean.
No one could stand and honestly
say
That he had lived in any way
To betray his pride and integrity,
which all had seen.
Strong faith in God had helped
him cope,
And his life was never without
hope
Until that certain day that
we all dread.
He was missed and mourned by
family and friends,
But all things here must have
their ends;
Now his soul lives on, even
though his body is dead.
It seems that a lesson could
be learned
From one poor man whose faith
has earned
A place to live forever in joy
and peace.
Through all his life, through
trials and sorrows,
Keep faith in God and hope for
tomorrow,
Then certain reward will come
and misery cease.
The Volunteers (C.O.A.P.)
You come as children, mild and
meek,
With a sacrifice of one full
week;
To present yourselves for manual
labor,
Desiring to help an unfortunate
neighbor.
Equipped with zest and determination,
Overriding your fears in a strange
location.
Sunscreen and shorts and brown
bag lunch,
Of peanut butter, orange juice,
and tropical punch.
You swarm over roofs like busy
bees,
Your confidence grows, your
anxiety flees.
Adjusted to surroundings by
noon, mid-week,
You explore through the trees
and mountain peaks.
Questions to ask and pictures
to take,
So much to accomplish in the
time awake,
The week too short to take it
all in,
And you may never pass this
way again.
For some, too soon does the time
disappear.
You have made new friends in
a short time here.
As learning rules ignorance
and light rules dark,
Your presence has left an indelible
mark.
2001 COAP Staff
Front Row: Doug Thompson, Carpenter; Audrey Farrow,
Housing Counselor/AmeriCorps; former volunteer; Elmer 'Boone' Stevens,
Carpenter; Charles Slaven, Construction Manager; Donna Noe, Program Manager;
Charlotte Saylor, Housing Counselor.
Middle Row: Tim Casteel, Carpenter; Tonya Farley,
Home Loan Fund Manager; Jack Farley, Carpenter;
Back Row: Terry Whitehead, Assistant Construction
Manager; former volunteer; former volunteer; Steve Ledford, Carpenter;
Mike Spegal, Carpenter; John Risner, Carpenter; Frank Stoffle, Director.
Not Pictured: Charlie Epperson and Johnny Joseph,
Carpenters.
From points west and north:
Take I-75 South to the first Corbin, KY exit (Route
25 E South). Take 25 E South until reaching the south side of Pineville.
Turn left onto Route 119 North. Follow 119 North until it "T's" into
Route 421. Turn right on Route 421 and proceed through the two traffic
lights. The road will then go though a rock cut and over a river;
take the immediate next left. Go to the end of the street, and COAP
is on the left.
From points west and south:
Take 25 E North through the Cumberland Gap, from Tennessee
into Kentucky. Stay on the road through Middlesboro, KY, and watch
for a right-hand turn onto Route 119 North, before Pineville. Follow
the above directions to COAP.
From points east:
Take Route 421 into Kentucky. Follow Route 421
all the way into Harlan - watch the curves and the construction!
Proceed until a giant 25' muffler is visible on the right hand side of
the road, on top of two poles. Take the last right-hand turn after
this. Go to the end of the street, and COAP is on the left.
COAP, Inc.
PO Box 1617
Harlan, KY
40831
(606) 573-9853 - phone
(606) 573-7347 - fax