Jasper County Neighbors United

Finding affordable, adequate housing in Jasper County has been an ongoing problem for years, especially with the growing population. "People have not been able to find places to live, every apartment complex is full, affordable housing is full," said the City of Hardeeville's Rob Dewig.

But that could all change thanks to a nonprofit group called Jasper County Neighbors United. Over the past year, they've been trying to help future first-time homeowners, like Rosa Mendez, buy a home through a program called Realizing the American Dream. "It is my dream," said. "This is my dream that we have a house."

So far, they've graduated a 100 people through this program, which would qualify them for up to $10,000 in grants. But the problem is, there's no available housing. "Because of the low income in the county, developers have been hesitant about coming in and developing housing, and consequently we have no housing," explained the program's Sister Lupe Stump.

But just recently, the nonprofit has been recognized as a state certified community development corporation, which could be a win-win for everyone. Not only will this new program help future home buyers purchase homes, but will also attract developers to the area.

"If a developer invests with us, he can get a 33 percent tax credit and he can actually build a better home for less money for the people in the area, and that's what we need," said Beatrice Jones of Jasper County Neighbors United.

In order for people to qualify for this program, they must take the first-home buyers' workshop. Contact Sister Lupe Stump for details. The workshops are scheduled as follows: English--Jan 24, Jan 31, Spanish--Feb 1, Feb 8, Feb 15, Feb 22.

Reported by: Jaime Dailey, jdailey@wtoc.com