Habitat for Humanity of Greenville County has been a driving force for affordable home ownership since the chapter opened in 1984. While it has seen challenges lately from the COVID-19 pandemic, the non-profit is beginning to bounce back, building homes in an increasingly challenging market.
No such thing as a free house
Director of Communications, Fabia Rodrigues, said there’s a misconception that Habitat homes are given away — they are not. Homeowners don’t get handed a set of keys to a new home without some work on their part, she said. There is a process that an applicant must go through to get a home.
Potential homeowners are typically lower income families struggling to afford a home in an increasingly expensive housing market. Once someone meets Habitats requirements and is approved for a home, they’re matched with a property that fits their needs.
At that point, prospective homeowners takes 25 hours of classes covering topics like maintenance and repairs and personal financial skills. After that, they complete 200 hours of volunteer service known as “sweat equity,” which means working at build sites not only for their own home, but for others as well.
Habitat has four basic designs for homes, which range from 3-4 bedrooms. The organization is also evaluating building duplexes and multi-family buildings that would make better use of land, Chief Resource Officer Mark Steenback said.
The criteria to be a Habitat homeowner:
- Must live and/or work in Greenville County for at least one year.
- Meet minimum & maximum income requirements (minimum: 30%; maximum: 60% of the area’s median income for the family size).
- Be employed a minimum of one year at a current job or have two years of verifiable income.
- Have a definite housing need — either living in unsafe, substandard housing or paying excessive rent in relation to income.
- Complete an educational program provided at no cost by Habitat to prepare applicants for homeownership.
- Be willing to complete a minimum of 200 hours of volunteer service to Habitat, known as “sweat equity.”
- Have sufficient income to be able to pay the monthly mortgage.
Breaking the cycle of poverty
Nearly 80% of prospective homeowners are single, Black mothers. Habitat has a goal to help homeowners break the cycle of poverty that’s dogged many of these women. With the rising cost of housing, Habitat homes have become more important than ever. Instead of paying $1,500 for rent, an average mortgage payment is $550 per month — which includes property taxes and insurance. The mortgage is financed directly through Habitat for Humanity, and as the organization collects mortgage payments, it builds funds to reach even more homeowners.
And the rate of foreclosure is incredibly low, Steenback said, about 0.6%. On-time mortgage payments are approximately 85-95%. Even during the pandemic, it was hovering around 92%, Steenback said.
“That speaks to the strength of our programs,” he said.
Not just about building homes
In addition to building homes, Habitat helps homeowners who might not be able to afford repairs through its home preservation program. Much like its home-building program, there are requirements homeowners must pass:
- The home must be owner-occupied for at least two years
- The home must be in Greenville County
- The home must need repairs to address health and safety concerns
- The household must meet income guidelines
- The applicant(s) must be willing to partner with Habitat for Humanity of Greenville County
- The applicant must pay the program fee in full to Habitat in accordance with approved repairs
To be able to offer its services, Habitat gets some of its funding through its ReStore retail stores, which sell a mix of new products donated from companies like Target and building supply companies, and used items donated from the community. While organizations like Goodwill take a wide variety of items, ReStore accepts donations focused on home improvement, like building supplies, furniture, appliances and home decor.
There are two ReStore locations in Greenville County: 3033 Wade Hampton Blvd, Taylors, and 1659 Woodruff Road, Greenville.
Sponsorships also help defray the cost of houses thanks to individuals and businesses. Habitat’s website several opportunities listed for the community to get involved through volunteering, donations of time or materials, and sponsorships.
Supply chain a concern
While the demand for affordable housing has increased in Greenville County, so has the price of just about everything that goes into a home. Steenback said lumber costs alone have gone from about $10,000 pre-pandemic for a typical home build, to about $20,000-$25,000. That means donated dollars can’t go as far. The organization has also had to order building supplies weeks earlier than they ordinarily would because of the time it takes to manufacture and ship them, which has also increased from 5-6 weeks pre-pandemic to 16 weeks.
Before COVID-19, Habitat was hoping to build 14 houses in 2020; instead, they were only able to build seven. This year, they’re hoping to build 14 homes, Vice President of Programs John Lattimore said. He’s also hoping more come out to volunteer now.
“We didn’t have volunteers for 10 and a half months,” Lattimore said.
Even with supply chain and volunteer issues, Habitat of Greenville County is on target to build its 400th home — which Steenback says will be in the Nicholtown community.
“The issue of affordable housing is getting worse, and we’re doing everything we can,” Steenback said.
