Habitat Greenville celebrates 20 years partnership with Golden Strip Church Coalition
April 21, 2016
SIMPSONVILLE, SC – Twenty years ago, several volunteers approached Habitat Greenville with the idea of helping expand affordable Habitat housing into the Golden Strip. Their idea was taken to churches in the Mauldin, Simpsonville and Fountain Inn area, who joined in to create what would become the Golden Strip Church Coalition. This year, the group raised the walls of its 20th build with Habitat Greenville – a home for the Bouie family.
As a participant in the Habitat homeowner program, Bouie has had to participate in classes preparing her for homeownership, as well as put in hours of sweat equity working to finish other participant’s homes. She will pay an affordable mortgage for the home.
This home was made possible through the partners participating in the Golden Strip build, who support the building of the home financially and through volunteering on the build site. Many of these participants have been partners with Habitat since the formation of the coalition. This year’s participants include Advent United Methodist Church, Fountain Inn First Baptist Church, Brookwood Church, Fountain Inn Presbyterian Church, Cedar Grove Baptist Church, Holy Cross Episcopal, Christ the King Lutheran Church, Messiah Lutheran Church, City of Fountain Inn, The Southern Connector, Emmanuel United Church of Christ, The Ice Cream Station, and First Baptist Mauldin, with grant funding by the Greenville County Redevelopment Authority.
“We are grateful to have such a longstanding partnership in the Golden Strip,” said Monroe Free, President and CEO of Habitat Greenville. “Because of the continuing generosity of these congregations, we’ve been able to help families in the Golden Strip build strength, stability and self-reliance through affordable homeownership.”
Over the past 20 years, the Golden Strip Church Coalition partners have contributed over $795,000 for building Habitat homes, volunteers have given 32,000 hours of work to build the homes. In 2013, the group received the Philanthropist of the Year award, given by the Piedmont Chapter of the Association for Fundraising Professionals, in recognition of their service.
About Habitat for Humanity of Greenville County: Through affordable home construction, Habitat for Humanity of Greenville strives to eliminate poverty housing and the social and economic problems it causes. Habitat Greenville received the Greenville Chamber’s Neighborhood Improvement Award in 2015, and was recognized with the 2015 Nonprofit Excellence Award, given by the SC Association of Nonprofit Organizations (SCANPO). Habitat Greenville, chartered in 1985, celebrated its 30th anniversary and construction of its 330th home in 2015. Learn more at www.habitatgreenville.org.
