Monday, October 27, 2014

Final Student Designs Submitted for United Housing’s NeighborScape Demo Garden to Benefit Homebuyer Education Clients

On October 20, United Housing’s Anna Gattuso and Amy Schaftlein visited Jenna Thompson’s Architecture and Interior Design Studio at the University of Memphis to review the initial set of designs nine students had created for our NeighborScape Demonstration Garden. Based on feedback from a jury composed of Anna, Amy and Kalki Winter, the students then updated their design boards and presented the final pieces to us on October 24 in our Homebuyer Education classroom, where the boards will remain on display.


During the Spring 2015 semester, elements of the students’ designs will go into a composite design created by Jenna’s graduate assistant. Once finalized, the team will focus on the building phase of the garden during the 2015 summer gardening season.

In addition to being beneficial to United Housing and our Homebuyer Education clients, this project also greatly benefits the University of Memphis Architecture Department and the community as a whole.

“What I love most about the NeighborScape project is its potential to provide sustainable landscape techniques to individuals who will benefit from economic savings and take pride in where they live,” said Jenna. “The ability for all socio-economic levels to learn about sustainable landscaping and gardening provides opportunities to reduce water usage, improve home values and provide food options. This knowledge has the ability to empower homeowners by providing greater understanding of the environment and how a healthy and beautiful home creates healthy and happy inhabitants.”

The project will teach Jenna’s students specific real-life lessons, which can be difficult to communicate in a classroom setting.

“This project will provide hands-on experience with clients who have everyday needs and a budget,” Jenna said. “It is critical that design education provide more than theoretical knowledge by introducing students to real design issues such as sustainable landscaping.”

Wednesday, October 15, 2014

Celebrate 20 Years of Homeownership with United Housing!

Help us celebrate a special milestone in United Housing history: 20 years of providing homeownership services to customers in West Tennessee!



To commemorate the milestone, we're hosting a party on Thursday, November 13 at Amurica Photography Studio from 6:30-9:00 p.m. The event will feature heavy hors d'oeuvres and an open bar of beer and wine, as well as soft drinks and water.

Thank you to our major partners, whose support has enabled United Housing to hit the 20-year milestone of making a difference in the Mid-South. A few of the many partner organizations and supporters we'll recognize during the event include:

  • Assisi Foundation 
  • City of Memphis and Shelby County
  • Frayser Community Development Corporation
  • Jimmie Hopson, Crye-Leike Realtors
  • Magna Bank
  • Memphis-Shelby County Office of Sustainability 
  • Meritan, Inc. 
  • Plough Foundation
  • Shelby Residential and Vocational Services
  • SRVS
  • Tennessee Housing Development Agency
  • United Way of the Mid-South 
We'd also like to thank +NeighborWorks America, who is generously sponsoring this event. 

Interested in attending? Tickets are $20, and all proceeds will go towards United Housing's Homebuyer Education program. For more information or to RSVP to this special event, please contact Amy Schaftlein at (901) 728-6937, or purchase tickets online here: http://bit.ly/1ocE300.