The heyday of the Allais area of Hazard, Kentucky is memorialized in the writings of Gurney Norman – a man who grew up in the community during the coal booms of the 1940s and 50s.  During Norman’s formative years, the coal industry built, owned, and maintained housing developments known as coal camps in the area. 

After the coal jobs left, the housing and the people followed. In Allais, a strip mall replaced the coal camp for some time. But eventually, continued economic decline forced the tenants of the strip mall to close up shop and vacate the area as well. After just a few decades, a site where people once made their homes, was left to deteriorate. 

Mindy Miller, born and raised in Hazard, remembers Allais in a much different way than Norman. She’s experienced it during  less glamorous times. 

“The strip mall was an eyesore in the community,” Miller said. “It was a small representation of what had become of most Appalachian towns. It was rundown and going away. It couldn’t sustain itself. It was really depressing.”

More recently, however, a partnership between the city of Hazard and the Housing Development Alliance (HDA) — a nonprofit affordable housing developer — offered an opportunity to build something new. The city utilized a community development block grant to raze the site and prepare it for a new housing development. It then sold the 1.5 acres of land to HDA, which used a variety of funding sources to create a subdivision of 15 homes.

“It’s the first subdivision built within the city limits of Hazard in 50 years,” Miller, who works for HDA, said. “They’re houses people can actually afford. The housing market here is broken.”

Homes built by traditional developers in the area typically start at $250,000. However, the average homebuyer in Hazard can only afford to borrow less than $110,000. The homes that HDA built cost about $180,000. 

Demand for affordable housing was, and still is, high in the area. Grant funding plays a critical role in creating more affordable options. 

Some of the grant money HDA received for the project came from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which received funding for these types of projects through the Inflation Reduction Act — signed into law by President Joe Biden. A number of other state and local funders contributed to the project as well. 

Gurney’s Bend, the name given to the community in honor of the author who memorialized it, is now home to at least 30 people who otherwise couldn’t afford to purchase a house in the area. A local bookstore owner made sure every home in the neighborhood came with a copy of Gurney Norman’s book. 

To Miller, the affordable housing development is emblematic of what’s possible as HDA looks to build affordable homes for their community members – some of whom have survived traumatic flooding events in the last few years. 

“Gurney’s Bend helps in two big ways. It helps the state and feds see we can build big subdivisions like this. We don’t need people from outside to come in. It also shows the people who live here what kind of home they can have,” she said. “To see a community spring up where before there was nothing is a sign of great hope. We’re used to things going away.”

Miller once considered leaving the area like so many others have.But, she wanted to stay close to family. So she’s doing what she can to make her community better, for everyone who lives there and wants to remain in the place they call home. 

“Over the years there has been this Appalachian exodus, waves of people leaving, but when you see 15 homes with 15 families and they’re happy and they’re contributing to their community, that’s amazing,” Miller said. “It helps to see a sign of permanence, proof that these communities can live beyond the coal industry. ”