For nearly 20 years, UMRC has used grants, donations, and volunteer labor for the rehabilitation and/or replacement of substandard homes. UMRC works with very low income families living in the rural communities of South Carolina, primarily in Berkeley, Dorchester, Georgetown, and Charleston counties. 

Key programs include: 

Owner-Occupied Rehabilitation Program is the 'flagship' construction program of the United Methodist Relief Center. The OOR program rehabilitates homes of very low-income families and individuals in rural communities. Through grants, donations, and volunteer labor, UMRC addresses substandard housing needs through rehabilitation.  Of those served, 85 percent are below the 30 percent threshold of the area's median income.

Elderly Transportable (ET) Housing Program was created in response to the need for safe, warm, dry housing for very low-income elderly and/or disabled persons.  Candidates for ETs live in homes that have deteriorated beyond the point of feasible rehabilitation to current building codes.  ET houses are stick-built on recycled mobile home frames. They meet or exceed all applicable building codes (IRC) and are located in compliance with all zoning requirements. 

Houses on the Move accepts donated houses to be recycled for the use of families in dire need of housing. They may also be sold outright to generate funds that allow the United Methodist Relief Center to continue to operate. There are two distinct programs for which UMRC currently utilizes donated homes: The first and main program is our Owner Occupied Rehabilitation Program. Recipients are qualified applicants who live in homes that are beyond rehabilitation and property that is accessible to house-relocators.  United Methodist Relief Center then rehabilitates the moved home to accommodate the family's needs. The second program offers qualified low income and/or very low-income first time homebuyers the ability to purchase houses that are relocated and rehabilitated.

Striva's Community Youth Service (SCYS) was established in 2002 for local Huger and Awendaw high school students.  The program teaches youth about who they are and how they can, through their collective abilities, make a positive change in their community.  Youth are paired with mentors to assist in the reconstruction of homes for very low income persons in rural communities.  

Additionally, through UMRC's Home Ownership Program the relief center works to provide affordable housing opportunities to low and very low-income families that are able to qualify for a mortgage. The Home Ownership Program participates in Their Promised Land Project.  Their Promised Land Project addresses heirs' property challenges, particularly warranted in the Carolinas, by facilitating the services of surveyors, abstractors, paralegals, and attorneys to clear titles for very low-income families.  UMRC subsequently assists with housing rehabilitation or replacement.  For more information about these programs or to inquire about your eligibility, please contact client services.