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In 2006, while vacationing in Canada, one John Washington stumbled upon what looked to be an old worn down building in the middle of a snowy meadow. John walked up to the building to try to open the door or look through the window but the little house was stubborn and would not budge. John could see the dried tears running from his siding and begin to ask the house how he ended up there. He asked the house where his parents were and what his name was. The little house would not respond and merely shrugged his shoulders signaling that he did not know the answers. Washington quickly realized that this little house was not old but quite the contrary; he was young and had been abandoned.

John, who worked with NeighborWorks® Columbus, felt compassion for the young fellow and decided to adopt the house and bring him back to Georgia for some tender loving care. Still not aware of where the house came from and who his parents were John decided to call him, “House” as a temporary name until he came up with another one. John filled the house with insulation so that he would be warm during the travels back to Georgia. Once John arrived he introduced “House” to the NeighborWorks® Columbus staff. The construction team immediately began working on “House” and performed an extreme makeover. They ensured “House” was energy efficient and could weather all conditions. He was given a new appearance both inside and out and of course this was all done with green building materials. The crew worked night and day until house was up to code and finally on June 1, 2006, House was ready for inspection. When House was finally able to take a good look at himself he was ecstatic. He exclaimed “Wow, I look good and I feel good. There is truly no place like HOME! With that, his new dad looked at him and said, “That’s it, that’s it! I am going to name you HOME-E.” And so began the legacy of HOME-E and the rest is history.

HOMEE has since matured and has found his calling to help other families find houses that they too can transform into homes. HOMEE is NeighborWorks® Columbus mascot and a constant cheerleader for homeownership and affordable housing throughout Columbus, GA.