Contributors: David Peebles and Don Oglesby, Homes of Hope
About Homes of Hope
Homes of Hope is the largest nonprofit developer of single-family affordable housing in South Carolina.
Our mission is to open doors for economic mobility through housing, economic, and workforce development.
Homes of Hope was founded in 1998. Since then, we have developed 700 homes and graduated 329 men from the Men’s Workforce Development Program.
Our housing philosophy involves using market-quality construction, mixed income neighborhoods, neighborhood revitalization and economic mobility opportunities for our housing clients.
BUILD | DEVELOP | CONNECT
BUILD
We BUILD affordable homes.
Our housing clients use their resources and ingenuity to build their futures.
The Men’s Workforce Development Program interns (for men recovering from addiction) help build homes for those experiencing housing insecurity while learning valuable construction skills.
DEVELOP
We DEVELOP neighborhoods.
Our clients develop self-discipline, life skills and relationships that empower their faith and enhances career readiness.
CONNECT
After understanding our client’s needs, we CONNECT them with partner organizations to help them achieve their dreams.
Our Men’s Workforce interns connect with local certification opportunities and reputable construction companies, resulting in well-paying careers after graduation.
Homes of Hope in Spartanburg, SC
A chat with Don Oglesby, Homes of Hope President & CEO.
How many houses in total have been constructed in Spartanburg so far?
119, and we’re working to develop another 34 if gap funding can be found.
How many of the Spartanburg houses listed above are rentals vs. sold?
46 of the entire total, including the planned homes, would be sold, the rest are rental properties.
What has been unique about the houses Homes of Hope has developed in Spartanburg?
The partnership for sure. Private capital is CRITICAL to continued development of affordable housing. Government help isn’t enough, not even close.
Why is it important to provide affordable housing options in a community?
It’s so critical to provide housing stability for the workforce that is priced out of the market. Options of poor-quality housing, or housing that is negatively located, or more importantly housing that costs folk 50-60% of their income (over ½ of all renters in SC are “cost burdened” like this) are not good options and contribute to this instability. If our workforce has stability, our economy does too.
The Mary Black Foundation awarded grant funds to assist in the development of affordable rental housing units in the City of Spartanburg’s Southside. The Foundation also provided an impact investment loan to Homes of Home as part of the development project.
