Homes of Hope, one of Greenville Housing Fund’s main partners, celebrated its 22nd birthday last month.  Led by president and CEO Don Oglesby, the organization’s goal is to provide affordable, energy-efficient homes for low-income communities.  Each family in their affordable housing program receives specialized training in banking, budgeting, and building assets in order to help clients break cycles of generational and situational poverty.  Homes of Hope features three different affordable housing programs, including affordable rental housing for families making less than 80% of area median income, LoCAL Housing that offers families the opportunity to own the home through manageable mortgages and financial training, and permanent next-step housing for the community’s homeless and at-risk populations.  Since 1998, Homes of Hope has completed 641 homes and rehabilitated an additional 192.

The organization also recognizes that simply building accessible affordable housing is not enough to institute real community-wide change.  They also work to improve the quality of life for residents in lower-income neighborhoods by addressing issues including food insecurity, lack of job opportunities, and transportation struggles.  Since its inception in 1998, Homes of Hope has invested over $80 million in community economic development.  The organization sees the value of mixed-use developments and hopes that such construction will help residents access necessary resources within their own neighborhoods.