Greenville Housing Fund joins NeighborWorks America Network

GREENVILLE, SC – Supporters of affordable housing in Greenville joined together at the Unity Park’s Welcome Center today for a reception to applaud Greenville Housing Fund’s official chartering as a new NeighborWorks America affiliate. 

“This is a milestone achievement for GHF and is a huge deal for Greenville, as we are already starting to discover and benefit from the many resources that NeighborWorks brings to its partner communities,” said Bryan Brown, President and CEO of Greenville Housing Fund (GHF). 

NeighborWorks America is a congressionally chartered national nonprofit that works to “deliver practical solutions that expand housing access, build wealth and boost local economies” through a network of over 250 local organizations, “driving change at the local level,” according to its website. Greenville Housing Fund is the only affiliate in the Upstate, and only the second one in South Carolina.  

“The NeighborWorks affiliation strengthens our capacity in a whole variety of ways, enabling us to do more in and for Greenville,” Brown said.  “There are new resources that can be tapped, and best practices and innovative successes that we can bring back from our new network partners to apply in our community.” 

One example is already in the works: in October, staff from GHF and from a local community-based nonprofit will attend a three-day NeighborWorks Community Leadership Training Institute together, with the goal of jump-starting specific neighborhood revitalization and affordable housing ventures that the two groups are working to launch.

Tiffany Santagati, Vice President of Operations at Greenville Housing Fund, who led the application effort, described a rigorous, multi-year selection process.

“NeighborWorks only opens the door to new affiliates every few years. We submitted an initial application in 2023 that was followed by multiple site visits and rigorous assessments, plus new reporting requirements and commitments from GHF. We are so proud to join only five new affiliates from across the country during this application cycle,” she said.

NeighborWorks’ Chief Operating Officer, Lee Anne Adams, spoke at the chartering event, as did City of Greenville Mayor Knox White. Along with a number of local and state elected officials, staff from the offices of U.S. Rep. William Timmons (SC-4), U.S. Rep Sheri Biggs (SC-3), and U.S. Senator Tim Scott (SC), attended the celebration, as did senior staff from the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, of which Senator Scott is Chairman.  A driving tour of affordable housing options in Greenville followed the reception. 

About Greenville Housing Fund:

In the almost seven years since its inception, GHF has invested over $21 million and leveraged $300 million in creating or preserving over 1,850 units of housing in Greenville County, many affordable to households living on as little as 30% of the area median income.  Learn more at https://greenvillehousingfund.com.