Habitat for Humanity of Greenville County

The mission of this program is to provide homeownership opportunities for families earning 30-60% of the area median income. Families with children are a primary focus. The program includes construction of new homes as well as rehabilitation of existing homes. Funding for the program is derived from partnerships with corporations, churches, civic groups and other organizations, and through grants. Construction and renovation work is carried out by volunteers supervised by Habitat's construction superintendents, quality assurance team, and task leaders. Plumbing, electric wiring and HVAC systems are installed by professionals in those trades. All new homes meet Energy Star and NAHB ICC-700 green building standards. In 2018, Habitat Greenville was named the 2018 EarthCraft Builder of the Year.

To quality for the program, prospective homeowners must meet Habitat’s criteria for partnership. This includes willingness to become a full partner with Habitat in doing the work required to help themselves; fulfillment of a minimum of 200 hours of "sweat equity" building their home and other Habitat homes; and completion of our homeownership preparation program, a key aspect of Habitat's approach to sustainable homeownership. Families participate in 25 hours of classes in personal finance, budgeting, mortgages, home maintenance, and other topics that teach them how to manage their finances and care for a home. Prospective homeowners must also have one year of continuous employment and the available resources to pay a zero-percent mortgage provided by Habitat Greenville.

Our home rehabilitation program provides homes for low-income families through the renovation and repair of existing homes. These include older Habitat homes and homes that are obtained by Habitat Greenville at no cost or at a low cost. The homes are renovated and sold at zero percent interest to families who meet Habitat's criteria for homeownership (need, willingness to partner, fulfillment of sweat equity, completion of the homeownership preparation program, one year of continuous employment, and ability to pay). Volunteer teams, under the direction of Habitat construction staff and quality assurance team, along with subcontractors for the electrical, plumbing and HVAC systems, complete the work required for each home rehabilitation.

Habitat's Neighborhood Revitalization Program promotes community involvement by partnering with residents, community leaders, and organizations to best address the community concerns and support the aspirations of the neighborhood.

Our Neighborhood Revitalization focus is specific to that individual neighborhood, training resident leaders to manage and spearhead the collaborative efforts for a holistic revitalization.