Kentucky State Seal

*OFFICE OF GOVERNOR ANDY BESHEAR*








*FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE*




*Contact:??*

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*Crystal Staley*
*502-545-3714*
"[email protected]"

*Scottie Ellis
502-330-1722
*"[email protected]" <[email protected]>






*Gov. Beshear Dedicates 100th Home Partially Funded by Team Western Kentucky Tornado Relief Fund*

"Governor also presents Graves County with more than $890,000 from the Kentucky Product Development Initiative"

*MAYFIELD, Ky. (Aug. 31, 2023)* ? Today, Gov. Andy Beshear joined local leaders from The Hope Initiative to hand over keys to the 100th new home built for tornado survivors that was funded in part by the Team Western Kentucky Tornado Relief Fund.

?I?m so excited to be back in Mayfield today dedicating the 100th home partially funded by the Team Western Kentucky Tornado Relief Fund,? *Gov. Beshear *said. ?Thank you to each of the 150,000 donors who helped make this milestone possible. Your generosity has helped another family become homeowners for the very first time and get a fresh start after losing so much during the devastating tornadoes.?

The Governor presented $890,670 to the Graves County Fiscal Court from the Kentucky Product Development Initiative. This funding will assist in the development and construction of a speculative building in the Hickory Industrial Park. To learn more, see today?s full release [ [link removed] ]. Earlier today, Gov. Beshear announced [ [link removed] ] that HVAC Distributing plans to expand its Graves County operations for a second time with a $5.35 million investment creating 40 full-time jobs.

?As this community continues to recover, I?m excited to announce that we?ve created nearly 800 new jobs in Graves County,? said *Gov. Beshear*.

The Team Western Kentucky Tornado Relief Fund provided $100,000 to help build this home. Over 124 projects are completed, under construction or approved to start construction with the support of nearly $8 million from the fund. In total, $21.6 million has been committed from the fund to build or significantly repair 300 homes. The Governor thanked nonprofit building partners, including The Hope Initiative, Habitat for Humanity, Homes & Hope for Kentucky, Fuller Center Disaster Rebuilders, The Mayfield/Graves Fuller Center for Housing and The Mayfield/Graves Long-Term Recovery Group.

?The Hope Initiative continues to serve the needs of our community throughout the recovery process because of the kindness and generosity of so many partners.?In our long-term efforts, the biggest need continues to be housing solutions for renters whose homes were lost or destroyed by the tornado,? said *His House Ministries Lead Pastor Stephen Boyken*, who serves as president of The Hope Initiative. ?The financial support from the Team Western Kentucky Tornado Relief Fund is allowing us to put the pieces and the people of our community back together one home at a time.?

Launched just days after the tornadoes in December 2021, the Team Western Kentucky Tornado Relief Fund has raised over $52 million with donations from over 150,000 individuals and businesses. The money raised helped pay funeral expenses for the families of the deceased and provided assistance to survivors as well as local farmers. The remaining funds will be used to build houses. For more information and to donate, click here [ [link removed] ].

In April 2022, through nonpartisan work with the General Assembly, Gov. Beshear also established the $120 million Western Kentucky State Aid Funding for Emergencies, or SAFE, Fund [ [link removed] ] to assist with tornado recovery.

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