Greenville Housing Fund

GHF and the Community Foundation of Greater Greenville are proud to announce the Homes for Teachers Program. CFGG awarded $250,000 to assist teachers with downpayment and closing costs. GHF is working with Greenville Schools to market the program to teachers who are first time homebuyers. Eligible teachers can receive up to $5,000 in assistance. The program will assist in recruiting and retaining teachers in the Greenville Community. GHF recently participated in the New Teacher Orientation at Mauldin High School.

Greenville Housing Fund Launched Homes for Teachers Initiative at Greenville County School’s New Teacher Orientation

Greenville, S.C. (September 5, 2008) – Greenville Housing Fund (GHF) announced the launch of its new Homes for Teachers initiative at the Greenville County Schools’ (GCS) New Teacher Orientation on September 4. This innovative financing program, made possible by a generous $250,000 grant over two years from the Community Foundation of Greenville, is designed to provide local teachers with the much needed down payment and closing costs which enables them to become first-time homebuyers.

Homes for Teachers targets first-time homebuyers by providing forgivable loans up to $5,000. The loans may be used for all or a portion of closing costs, for all or a portion of a down payment or to reduce the principal amount of a first mortgage. The loan is forgiven if certain conditions are met and the homebuyer remains in their home for more than a five-year period.

In addition to benefiting individual teachers, this program is a key element in an overall effort to promote economic stability and growth in Greenville. GCS, which hires more than 750 teachers each year, partnered with GHF for the event to enable new teachers to become homebuyers. This program, in turn, assists in GCS’s overall recruitment and retention efforts by offering teachers financial assistance for establishing roots in Greenville.

Deborah McKetty, Executive Director of GHF, was available to discuss the program and. "Our goal during the next two years is to assist at least 50 teachers in Greenville County in becoming first-time homebuyers. Many thanks to the Community Foundation of Greenville for making the Homes for Teachers initiative a reality for these deserving members of our community."

The Greenville Housing Fund (GHF) is a non-profit organization established in 2008 to provide for an increase in the availability of affordable housing in Greenville County. GHF offers a variety of assistance programs including: deferred payment loans; low- or no-interest amortizing loans; grants of forgivable loans; down payment and closing costs; owner-occupied rehabilitation loans; and emergency home repair. Major funding support for GHF includes contributions from the United Way of Greenville, the Hollingsworth Fund, Greenville County Redevelopment Authority, and the City of Greenville.