Building a better Swannanoa Valley with ‘Hammer & Heart’
New nonprofit organization creates blueprint for safe, livable housing
Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
October 6, 2021
Hammer & Heart, a new Swannanoa Valley-based nonprofit organization, focuses on providing urgent home repairs for local residents who are unable to maintain their homes. The initiative grew out of the Black Mountain Love Project, which was founded by Black Mountain Handyman owners Mark and Kenda Mullert in 2020. Pictured, left to right: Mark Mullert, Kenda Mullert, Nancy McGlaughlin, Tim Blekicki, Joellen Maurer, Ben Fortson and Owen Lovejoy. Photo by Fred McCormick
Nearly hidden among the newly constructed and renovated bungalows and cottages that fill the neighborhoods around the Swannanoa Valley are the often less visible homes that possess few, if any, of the comforts that are easy to take for granted. While modern building materials create safe, warm and dry living conditions for those who can afford them, proper maintenance is an expense that many homeowners can not meet.
What is often masked by the rapid growth and development of the community is the reality of crumbling roofs, rotting floors and the local residents who are unable to fix them, but a new nonprofit organization is embarking on a mission to help.
The seed from which Hammer & Heart sprouted was planted in 2018, when Mark and Kenda Mullert founded Black Mountain Handyman after struggling to find a reliable contractor to take on a remodeling project in their home. The couple quickly discovered that there was not only an overwhelming need for the service provided by their business, but also a concerning number of local residents who were unable to shoulder the financial burden of maintaining their homes.
By 2019, a growing Black Mountain Handyman began providing pro bono work, primarily for elderly homeowners living on fixed incomes, repairing rotted floors, leaky roofs and other structural damage. The Mullerts quickly realized the need in the local community was too great for the small business to tackle alone, and launched the Black Mountain Love Project last January. The initiative was designed to raise awareness of the struggles local residents face in maintaining a safe home, and generate community support for a nonprofit organization that can offer assistance for critical repairs.
Mark’s initial focus was establishing a collaborative network of local businesses, churches and community members while establishing a leadership structure within the organization. In March, he met with a group of citizens who were eager to join his mission, and the Black Mountain Love Project became Hammer & Heart.
“Mark really got the ball rolling on this in 2020,” said Ben Fortson, the chair of the five-person volunteer board that is directing Hammer & Heart, which officially launched, Sept. 10. “But, his vision for this was always to create a structured organization with oversight that can help it grow to meet the community’s needs. Once he established a board of directors, he handed the project over to us.”
While the Mullerts and Black Mountain Handyman continue to fill vital roles within the organization, the board, which consists of Fortson, Nancy McLaughlin, Tim Blekicki, Joellen Maurer and Owen Lovejoy, began charting a course.
“We started looking at the demographics of Swannanoa, and it really hit us that we needed to expand our reach to the entire Swannanoa Valley, because once we looked a little deeper at Swannanoa, we learned the needs were greater there than they are in Black Mountain,” Fortson said. “We also needed a name that truly communicated what we do, and one that wasn’t exclusive to just Black Mountain.”
However, the board members didn’t want to “reinvent the wheel” when it came to structuring the new organization, according to Fortson.
“We knew there had to be someone out there who was already doing what we’re trying to do,” he said. “We had a lot to figure out because none of us had ever done this before, we’re just a group of people who have a big interest in helping people who are suffering.”
Through their research, board members discovered that similar organizations were common in metropolitan areas, but sparse in small towns and rural communities. They were encouraged when McGlaughlin learned about the Community Housing Coalition in Madison County
“They do great work, and they’ve been doing it for over 20 years,” Fortson said. “They do around 120 - 150 projects a year, and they host groups from out of town who come in to work on houses. I went with Nancy to meet with the director, Chris Watson, and he gave us so much information.”
The conversation proved to be as helpful as it was informative for Hammer & Heart.
“We were so impressed by what they were doing we asked if we could borrow some of their forms and applications to help us get going,” Fortson said. “They wanted us to be able to do what they’re doing, and much of what we’ve established so far has come from their model. Meeting with CHC was huge for us.”
Since its launch, Hammer & Heart has raised nearly $14,000 in donations. Those funds were used to replace rotting steps with a new wooden ramp for a widowed 72-year-old Black Mountain resident. That project will also include the installation of a new HVAC system in the home.
“We treat our patrons as if they were customers with a home repair business,” Fortson said. “We want to do quality work that they feel good about, and do it in a timely fashion.”
The organization relies on donations from the community to hire local contractors to address housing conditions that pose an imminent threat to the life or safety of low-income homeowners. It also provides accessibility modifications and other necessary repairs to prevent the displacement of homeowners with special needs.
“We need people who are willing to give, whether it’s a small or large amount,” Fortson said. “That money all goes directly towards these projects. We also need eyes and ears in the community, so if someone is driving down the road and sees a home with obvious structural damage, we want to know about it so we can help.”
The early response from the community has been encouraging, according to the board chair.
“We live in a place with a lot of people with big hearts who are willing to help one another,” Fortson said. “We want to open the community’s eyes to the home repair needs of their neighbors, and come together to meet those needs.”
With 20% of the Swannanoa Valley living below poverty level, the mounting costs of home maintenance are simply out of reach for too many local residents, Fortson added.
“Most people won’t check their roof every year or two, they just wait until something happens to it,” he said. “Maintaining a home is a job in itself, and there is always something that needs attention. When you live below the poverty level, your primary focus is surviving.”
For more information about Hammer & Heart, including how to donate, volunteer or get involved, visit hammerandheartwnc.org.