Hand UP for Women moving to new location
Published September 12, 2023; 4:36 p.m.

New location for Hand UP for Woman; courtesy photo

KNOXVILLE — Knoxville non-profit, Hand UP for Women currently located on Fairview Street will be moving to a 3.5-acre property in North Knoxville on Buffat Mill Road. This new property is more than double the size of the current location. The Hand UP for Women ministry feels this is an enormous opportunity to expand the program for volunteers, staff and most importantly, for all the women served by Hand UP. The current home has served the organization for eight years and helped transform the lives of many women.

An investor who has asked to remain anonymous purchased both the current location at Fairview Street and the new property at Buffat Mill Road for $1,225,000. The anonymous investor also provided an interest-free loan to the nonprofit organization on the remaining $425,000 balance, making it financially feasible for the organization to expand and serve more women.

Hand UP for Women’s new location is 3,700 square feet with three bedrooms, and the organization has extensive plans to add additional apartments, office space and classroom meeting space. Upon completion, the new location will accommodate 25 women in the program. Currently, the program serves a maximum of 15 women at a time.

The new location is in a park-like, rural setting and will offer a respite for program residents – many of whom have always lived in urban environments. “Most women in our program have never lived in peace and quiet. It is a tremendous blessing that they can safely escape from the turmoil they were in and evolve to become the women God has called them to be,” Executive Director, Eva Pierce said.

Hand UP for Women staff invite the community to help them further their commitment to serving women.

The home needs remodeling and updating to accommodate the needs of the non-profit and its residents. Additionally, the public and businesses can help by sponsoring a program participant for $6,000.

As for the current location on Fairview Street, the new owners will use it for ministry purposes.

Once again, the Hand UP for Women ministry is incredibly grateful for the anonymous donor who made this possible.

Hand Up for Women is a life-management and career-readiness ministry that brings dignity, self-confidence and hope to women who might otherwise remain trapped in addiction, abuse, poverty, and despair. It provides long-term, healthy friendships, and a year-long series of twice-weekly classes that teach women to realize their full potential in every area of life. Because of the long-term investment in their lives made by all those involved in Hand UP for Women, participants find and own the personal strength and courage to achieve self-reliance helping them become who God created them to be.