BUILDING BACK
Habitat for Humanity
GEORGETOWN, SOUTH CAROLINA H
ABITAT FOR Humanity Georgetown County celebrated a milestone in 2011 by marking its 20th an-
niversary. Founded in 1991 by members of Georgetown Presbyterian Church, the affiliate of Habitat
BY STACY E. DOMINGO
for Humanity International currently is building its 90th home. “Habitat homes in Georgetown
County, South Carolina, will bring in approximately $30,000 in property tax revenue this year,” said Executive Director Annette Perreault. “In addition to the hundreds of volunteer hours and homeowners’ sweat equity hours, each home provides work for a civil engineer, an electrician, a plumber, dry wallers, a pest control expert and an HVAC subcontractor.” One misconception is that Habitat
for Humanity gives away homes. In fact, Habitat provides the hope of home ownership for low income families that would not qualify for a conventional mortgage. “Our families must be able to repay
a 30-year, no interest, no-profit mort- gage held by Habitat for Humanity Georgetown County,” said Perreault. “We are the lender and collect monthly mortgage payments that help us continue our mission. We are not subsidized housing and have rigorous requirements for our families.” Homeowners must be willing to put in 400 sweat equity hours on other people’s homes and complete a six-week course that gives them the skills to meet their financial obligations. At closing, they must present a working household
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budget to a panel from the affiliate’s board of directors. It takes 16 to 20 weeks to complete
a Habitat home, at an average cost of $71,500. An active member of the
Georgetown Human Services Collaborative, the Habitat affiliate works with other area non-profits to address health and housing needs in the county. “Currently, we are working together to build much-needed wheelchair ramps for people who would otherwise be house-bound. In addition to continuing to build new homes for low-income families, we are hoping to work with the Collaborative to help repair and rehab homes. There is a critical need for this throughout the county,” Perreault explained.
The affiliate needs volunteers to continue its mission. “Our local volunteers devote hun-
dreds and hundreds of hours of tireless work on our construction sites, in our ReStore, on committees, in our office and on fundraisers,” said Perreault.
One way the Georgetown affili- ate is meeting the needs of potential homeowners is through its Collegiate Challenge program. Groups of high school and college students travel to Georgetown from all over the East Coast during school breaks to help build homes. This coming winter, spring and summer, Habitat for Humanity Georgetown County expects to host more than 170 students. No experience is necessary, and, for those who do not wish to wield a hammer, there is the ReStore, a major funding source for the Georgetown affiliate. “We sell gently used furniture, appliances, housewares and construc- tion materials. If people or businesses are remodeling, moving or downsizing, they can call us for a free pickup,” Perreault said.
All donations to Habitat for Humanity are tax-deductible. To learn more about how you can volunteer or to see if you qualify for a home, visit
www.habitatgeorgetown.com or call (843) 546-5685.
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