Community Care in Oak Ridge, TN

©Journal Communications/Nathan Lambrecht

For most who live in Oak Ridge, thoughts of home evoke pleasant images of tree-lined streets and neighbors who care. 

So, when residents see that comfortable life slipping out of reach for some, due to increasing housing costs, loss of employment or medical disability, the community steps in. 

ADFAC: Addressing Affordable Housing Challenges

Aid to Distressed Families of Appalachian Counties (ADFAC) was established in 1987 to help struggling families and individuals achieve self-sufficiency. In recent years, finding affordable, safe and healthy homes in its four-county coverage area has been a challenge — but one the staff at ADFAC is up for. 

Becky Hook

“Affordable housing is always a concern, not just in our community but throughout the country,” says Joey Collins, ADFAC director of programming. 

To help meet the need, the agency coordinates with local volunteer groups, businesses and other organizations in the community, including Clinch River Habitat for Humanity and the City of Oak Ridge, to do something about it. 

ADFAC has also partnered with the Oak Ridge Housing Authority to build on the city’s Land Bank properties on Waddell Place in an effort to revitalize that street and provide affordable housing to low-to-moderate-income families. 

ADFAC also recruits volunteers and professional craftspeople from the community to work on homes that need repairs, which helps keep families in their own dwellings. 

“We will continue to provide needed health-and safety-related home repairs to the most vulnerable in our community,” Collins says, contemplating the agency’s future. “We also plan to continue to work closely with our community partners to provide more affordable housing solutions.” 

Jamie LaRose

Meeting Medical Needs 

Additional evidence of community camaraderie is the Free Medical Clinic (FMC) of Oak Ridge, which provides primary and medical care at no charge to low-income and uninsured Tennessee residents. 

Operating with donations and grants, FMC is part of a larger network of caring community organizations and companies throughout the region that are working to create a better future by sharing ideas and applying unique solutions. 

Kesha Carter, outreach coordinator, is a member of the clinic’s staff who is charged with visiting rural areas in Anderson, Roane and Morgan counties, including homeless campsites, to connect people with medical treatment and other resources. Some 14,000 individuals are now being served, but three times that many are in need, she says. 

To help get the job done, the 25 staff members at FMC team up with a variety of agencies, such as the Roane County Health Council and Rockwood Ministerial Association. 

“We will serve anyone who is uninsured and get them the help they need,” Carter says. 

Connecting Growers and Residents 

For Rebecca Williams, housing and medical care are as important as fresh, locally-grown food. 

Williams, director of Grow Oak Ridge, says for the past eight years, the organization has operated the Winter Farmers’ Market indoors on Saturdays from December through March. Over time, she has seen a steady increase in its customer and vendor base. 

“We also operate Market-To-Go, an online farmers market, year-round,” she says. “We do home delivery and quick curbside pickup, trying to make buying locally more convenient for busy families who are used to online ordering and seniors who can’t get out to the farmers market but still love locally grown produce.” 

Grow Oak Ridge

Along with supporting local farmers, the agency hosts regular events featuring music and children’s nutrition programs, with booths offering baked goods, coffee and lunch options. 

Grow Oak Ridge recently received a Y12 FCU Gives Foundation grant for its Nourish Kids Club. The program provides children with a free vegetable tasting and $5 in Produce Bucks to spend with local farmers on their own fruits and vegetables at the Winter Farmers’ Market. 

“Other partnerships with local community gardens, food pantries and organizations, like United Way of Anderson County, help us get locally grown foods to a larger audience,” Williams says. “And, of course, we have many private donors and volunteers, and we just couldn’t succeed without them.”