About
Charleston Habitat for Humanity works with corporate partners, volunteers and individual supporters to strengthen the Charleston community by building new homes in existing neighborhoods and providing critical home repairs to existing homes. We provide a hand up—not a handout—and a pathway to home ownership and safe, stable housing for candidates who meet our application criteria.
Our work enables local residents to participate in the revitalization of their community, bringing new life to places such as Rosemont and the East Side in Charleston, as well as Chicora-Cherokee and Joppa Way in North Charleston.
To be eligible to apply with Charleston Habitat for Humanity, you must live or work in our geographic service area. We serve downtown Charleston, North Charleston and West Ashley. If you do not have a tie to our service area, you will want to contact the Habitat for Humanity affiliate that serves your community.
HOMEOWNERSHIP PROGRAM
Families are selected based on their ability to pay a Habitat mortgage, housing need, and willingness to partner by completing 400 hours of sweat equity. Applicants must be first time homeowners and have lived or worked for at least the last six months in North Charleston, West Ashley, or downtown Charleston.
Qualified applicants must earn a gross annual income (before taxes) of between 35% and 60% of area median income adjusted for family size.
VETERANS BUILD
Similar to our Homeownership Program, Veterans Build is for honorably and generally discharged or retired veterans. To qualify, Veterans Build partner families must earn a gross annual income (before taxes) of between 35% and 80% of the area median income adjusted for family size. These families must complete 350 hours of sweat equity.
REPAIR PROGRAM
In addition to new construction, Charleston Habitat for Humanity assists Lowcountry families through critical home repairs of their current homes. This program is open to all military veterans (provided they have received an honorable or general discharge), as well as non veterans.
Critical home repair is interior or exterior work performed to alleviate critical health, life and safety issues or code violations, including a change to or repair of materials or components; a reconfiguration of space; a modification for accessibility; installation or extension of plumbing, mechanical or electrical systems on an existing structure. This also includes the need for wheelchair ramps. Projects can include existing Habitat homes.
To qualify for this program, applicants must own the home (cannot be rented) and meet our family selection criteria (between 35% and 60% of the area median income (up to 80% for veterans), show significant need, willingness to partner). Applicants must live in North Charleston, West Ashley, or downtown Charleston.
OLGA
Olga is a single mother of two young children, Joseph (4) and Jalaia (3). She is a self-employed hair stylist and cosmetologist. Olga enjoys going on walks with her kids, reading, cooking, sewing, and making people beautiful. Because of Olga’s partnership with Charleston Habitat,
her family’s lives were forever changed for a better future!
“Having a Habitat home means everything to me! I am excited to finally have a safe place to live,
where I can play with my kids in the backyard without fear.”