Branching off from Knoxville Community Development Corporation’s VISTA Program, Tennessee’s Community Assistance Corporation (TCAC) was established as a 501 (c)3 organization in June of 1999.  At that time, TCAC was operating one of the largest privately funded VISTA programs in the United States.  
 

With a desire to serve citizens living in low-income public housing, TCAC was able to create the Community Cares Program in 2001, after receiving an award from the Tennessee Commission on National and Community Service.  The program began with ten AmeriCorps members serving elderly and disabled individuals living in nine area housing authorities.

 

In 2002, the Corporation of National Service asked TCAC to take over the Tennessee READS VISTA project.  TCAC applied for HUD funding and was awarded two Resident Opportunity Self Sufficiency Grants (ROSS), which enabled us to reach out to ten public housing communities.  We also began training to promote resident leadership and self-sufficiency for residents of public housing by hosting a bi-annual training conference which provided guidance on establishing resident councils, resolving community conflict, fundraising, and program development.
 

TCAC continued to grow with the Gifts in Kind Program, in 2003.  Created to help TCAC partners, other non-profits, and faith-based organizations throughout Tennessee provide products and incentives to further each agency’s mission, the Gifts in Kind Program redistributed new products, allowing partnering agencies to stretch their service dollars while providing materials and supplies to those most in need.  Over the years, the Gifts in Kind program evolved, becoming the Depot Redistribution Program.

 

In 2004-2005, TCAC was growing again with an award to increase AmeriCorps members, enabling 26 volunteers to serve in 24 area housing authorities.  In October 2004, the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), The Office on Aging, and AARP nationally recognized the AmeriCorps Community Cares Program as a “model program” in elder care.  By the 2005-2006 program year, with 52 members, TCAC was home to the largest Ameri-Corps program in Tennessee.
 

In August 2010, TCAC was awarded funds from CNCS, enabling us to serve the growing number of Tennessee’s military veterans and their family through the Making Veterans Priority Program.  This program was created to offer resources and referrals giving veterans and their families the tools necessary to rejoin their communities and providing home modifications.

 

The HOME Program began in 2018, when we were awarded $500,000 by the Tennessee Housing and Development Agency (THDA) enabling rehabilitation or rebuilding of homes for qualifying low-income individuals in Cocke County.  The following year, TCAC became grant administrators for Hamblen, Union, and Claiborne counties; we added Cocke and Jefferson counties in 2020, securing funds to provide each of these local governments with $500,000 in HOME grants. We were also awarded the Down Payment Assistance grant from THDA in 2020, allowing us the help qualifying first-time homebuyers with assistance for down payments, closing costs, or principle deductions.
 

Today, TCAC Builders continues to serve the great State of Tennessee, bringing safe, healthy homes to low-income individuals through THDA’s Community Housing Development Organization program and administering HOME rehab grants in Campbell, Claiborne, Cocke, Hamblen, Jefferson, Morgan, Scott, and Union counties and Morristown City.  AmeriCorps members are serving at 700 sites from Northeast to Middle Tennessee.  The TCAC Depot now accepts donations while continuing to be “Your Community Discount Store,” providing our customers a place to shop quality merchandise ranging from personal care items and clothing to home goods and more at discounted prices.

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We are proud of the 25-year history TCAC has, and we look forward to many more years of service to the communities and citizens we love!