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The Harlan County Chamber of Commerce held its monthly meeting recently, hearing a presentation from COAP Executive Director Preston Jones.

After a successful time at the Pine Mountain Settlement School, Jones began working with COAP a few months ago.

“I didn’t intend on going into non-profit administration, but as I tell people, in Harlan County you have to be flexible and adapt to the opportunities presented to you,” Jones said.

Jones was raised in Harlan County.

“Growing up in Harlan, I can remember the glory days of COAP and seeing their work and all the new construction they had done,” Jones said. “COAP has been around for 40 years, I can remember seeing that and I can also remember seeing the decline.”

According to Jones, COAP has struggled in the last several years.

“I’ve been at COAP for six months,” Jones said. “We’re in a lot better shape I can say now than we have been in probably three or four years.”

Jones explained a few of the basics about the COAP organization.

“COAP stands for Christian Outreach for Appalachian People,” Jones said. “It was founded in 1983 in response to the 1977 flood that devastated Harlan County, particularly downtown…there were several housing development non-profits that got started around that time.”

COAP’s website states the organization was conceived to be a grassroots interdenominational relief effort with the intention of helping low-income families with housing.

“COAP has constructed over 225 brand new homes in Harlan County, which from what I can tell is probably as much or more than any other single construction developer,” Jones said. “It has done thousands of significant repair jobs, things like roofs, heat pumps, critical repairs that people needed to be able to stay in their homes.”

Jones mentioned one of the more extensive programs COAP is currently involved in.

“COAP has historically focused equally on new construction as repairs,” Jones said. “The biggest program we’re running right now is USDA’s 504 program. It’s their repair program. It maxes out at $10,000 or in some cases can go up to $15,000. If you are 62 or older, and you meet the (conditions for) the grant – it’s actually a grant to the families, so the families don’t pay anything – if you are a low or moderate income, you can access those funds…they come in as a low interest rate loan.”

Jones said individuals must own a home and meet the income requirements to be eligible for the program.

“We have a checklist they can come and get; it’s our way to see if they’re going to be able to qualify or not,” Jones said.

Jones noted COAP is also currently working on multiple major rehab projects.

“COAP owns a few homes that the work had started on several years ago and was never finished,” Jones said. “That’s been a huge priority for me, to get those houses finished in like new condition and get families in those homes.”

For more information on COAP and the programs offered, visit their website at coapinc.org or call 606-573-9853.