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SMHP hires Executive Director

Heather Boyd

Heather Boyd, a resident of Pisgah Forest, NC has been hired to serve as the first Executive Director of Smoky Mountain Housing Partnership (SMHP), the affordable housing division of Mountain Projects, a community action agency serving Haywood and Jackson Counties.

Founded in 2019, SMHP’s mission is to improve quality of life for families by advocating for and creating workforce housing opportunities. The organization strives to assist residents through programs that include financial literacy, down payment assistance, rental assistance, credit counseling, and homeownership pre-purchasing counseling.

As a former housing counselor with the Housing Assistance Corporation in Hendersonville, and a past Loan Officer with United Community Bank, Boyd is well-versed in working with clients, packaging loans and working with other organizations leveraging funding. Boyd was awarded the Louise Mack Housing Counselor of the Year award from the North Carolina Housing Finance Agency in 2019. 

“Mountain Projects and the SMHP board of directors are incredibly pleased to welcome Heather Boyd to our team,” said Patsy Davis, Executive Director of Mountain Projects. “We are grateful to have Heather’s expertise in our community and her focus on supporting the affordable housing needs of Haywood and Jackson County residents.” 

For community members interested in making holiday contributions and supporting affordable housing opportunities in Haywood and Jackson counties, SMHP Legacy donors Geri and Don McGowan have made a $25,000 matching challenge. Every dollar contributed up to $25,000 will be matched by the McGowans. Donations can be made at the SMHP website, https://smokymountainhousing.org/support/donate/ or by sending a check to SMHP, ℅ Mountain Projects, 2177 Asheville Hwy, Waynesville, NC, 28786. 

Mountain Projects is a Community Action Agency, non-profit charitable organization, founded in 1965 to provide vital services to the elderly and disadvantaged in Western North Carolina. It was begun as part of the “War On Poverty” with a $52,000 Office of Economic Opportunity grant and a pilot summer Head Start program. Since then the agency has provided a broad diversity of services to the community in response to the community’s changing needs.

For more information about Smoky Mountain Housing Partnership or Mountain Projects, please email Heather Boyd at hboyd@mountainprojects.org or call 828-452-1447.

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