ALCOA, Tenn. — A longtime Clayton Homes employee is set to become a homeowner with the help of Blount County Habitat for Humanity, marking a major milestone in his journey from refugee to U.S. citizen.
Mathiang Gutnyin, originally from Sudan, has worked at Clayton Homes for more than a decade. While volunteering with Habitat for Humanity through his employer, Gutnyin discovered he was eligible to apply for a Habitat home — an opportunity that represents the only affordable path for him to purchase a home for his family.
“This is the only way I can afford to purchase a home for my family,” Gutnyin said.
Currently, Gutnyin lives in a two-bedroom apartment in Alcoa with his oldest son. His wife and two younger children remain in Uganda while she completes visa paperwork to join the family in the United States.
Gutnyin is one of the “Lost Boys of Sudan,” a group of boys displaced or orphaned during the Second Sudanese Civil War. He fled Sudan in 1987 to escape the war and was naturalized as an American citizen in 2008.
He is participating in a 10-month Habitat for Humanity program designed to prepare future homeowners for success. The program includes homeownership classes and volunteer opportunities to build homes in the community. Gutnyin said the experience of volunteering alongside others is helping him develop skills needed to maintain his future home.
“It’s amazing knowing that one of the things we do is work on our home, while also helping to build another home for a different family,” Gutnyin explained. “Knowing that you are helping another homeowner is a great feeling.”
Clayton Homes employees have contributed more than 1,200 volunteer hours in the neighborhood where Gutnyin’s home is being built. His home is also sponsored by Clayton Homes, strengthening the partnership that has supported his journey to homeownership.
Ted Rutland, social responsibility program manager for Clayton Homes, said the volunteer work has given employees a meaningful connection to the project. “Whether it’s putting down subfloor, framing, or painting, it becomes real when you know it’s going to be somebody’s home,” Rutland said.
In Blount County, the cost to build a Habitat for Humanity house exceeds $190,000 — an expense many families cannot afford without assistance.
Gutnyin expressed his gratitude for the support and is excited about the future. “I’m feeling great today because this is very important. Soon I will have a home, and that is exciting.”
