Kingsport Receives Eastern Eight Inaugural Rising Star Award
KINGSPORT – City of Kingsport Development Services Director Lynn Tully is heading an effort to engage the Eastern Eight Community Development Corporation to create a partnership that offers assistance with first time home ownership. In doing so, they have landed the inaugural Rising Star Award.
The recipients of the award are Development Services Coordinator, Rack Cross, and Community Development Coordinator, Mark Haga for their years of relationship building including single family houses to residential development build out and a newly announced community revitalization in the form of a multi-family complex.
Cross reached out to Patton in 2011 when no Eastern Eight projects were active in Kingsport and fostered a partnership that has gained momentum over the last several years culminating in the recognition of the Model City as an Eastern Eight Rising Star Award recipient.
Haga leads the latest Eastern Eight collaboration involving joint agency funding and administrative partnership for a recently announced community revitalization effort including a significant multi-family complex.
Eastern Eight Executive Director, Retha Patton said, Eastern Eight is so excited to become an important stakeholder in the development of affordable housing resources in partnership with the City of Kingsport. Rack Cross has made the difference in facilitating the communication of opportunities available between Eastern Eight and the City. This enhanced communication has allowed us to develop several projects to meet the needs of households desiring to reside within the City. Mark Haga has been instrumental in managing critical resources that has allowed projects to move forward from paper to bricks and mortar.
Chartered in 1998 as a 501c3, Eastern Eight CDC is a certified Housing Development Organization (CHDO) focusing on community development through the fulfillment of housing needs for low-to-moderate income families. Eastern Eight CDC serves an eight county region, mixed small urban and rural communities. The organization provides homebuyer education, post-purchase education and financial counseling.