Pamela Celebrates Five Years at Chestnut Corner

Earlier this month I sat down with Pamela who lives at Chestnut Corner – a former dive bar on East Chestnut Street in Lancaster that Chestnut Housing transformed into six affordable apartments several years ago.

Pamela moved into Chestnut Corner in 2020, after living at her daughter’s home during some hard times. She easily remembers what it felt like the day she got the keys to her new apartment and had a place of her own again.

“When they opened the door, I got really happy,” she recalls. “When I saw the back porch, I was just so happy.”

Pamela lives on a fixed income, and every penny counts in her monthly budget. After five years in the same place, she is healthy and thriving. She doesn’t stay still and looks for new ways to grow. She is exploring new business ventures with her daughter and her sister. She is active in several social groups, including her church, which keep her connected to people. And she makes good use of that back porch, often talking with nearby neighbors and the barber across the street.

As she gains newfound stability and opportunity in her life, Pamela considers where she wants to be in another five years. By then she’ll be in her sixties and it would be fitting to move into a senior living facility. But she appreciates the stability of her current home, and she does not take for granted value Chestnut Housing’s affordable housing program provides.

Right now, she enjoys a quality apartment where she can live comfortably within her modest budget. She exemplifies what it means to say a home is the foundation for a healthy and fulfilling life. She states with confidence:

“I’m right where God wants me to be.”

-- Chad Martin

Milburn Volunteers Donate Hundreds of Hours

To date more than 130 volunteers have given over 500 hours of donated time and expertise to Chestnut Housing's Milburn Apartments project. Over the last month volunteers put their carpentry skills to work installing doors and window trim. And many, many willing hands painted the ceilings and walls of all eight apartments.

Chestnut Housing is SO GRATEFUL to the everyone who has given their timely over the last several weeks. And we look forward to more opportunities for volunteers to join us completing key aspects of this project this summer!

Our spring fundraising campaign is going on right now. Can you help Chestnut Housing raise $10,000 this month and create more affordable housing in your community? Click below to make a donation right now. And THANK YOU to everyone who has donated so far!

Donate Online Today!