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- EIN 57-1101096
- 690 Coleman Blvd Mt Pleasant SC 29464-4018 USA
- www.umrc.org
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Nonprofit Overview
Causes: Homeless & Housing, Housing & Shelter, Housing Rehabilitation
Mission: "Building Homes for Today and Hope for Tomorrow". The UMRC, founded in 1991, grew out of a disaster response agency established by the United Methodist Church to coordinate housing repairs and reconstruction following Hurricane Hugo. While working and surveying in storm-damaged communities, the UMRC realized that the problems and needs went beyond the storm''s destruction. A request to continue operations to provide housing assistance to those in the most desperate circumstances was granted. Using government and foundation grants, donations, and volunteer labor, the UMRC provides housing and advocacy assistance to rural poor homeowners in South Carolina. Partnerships with other agencies enable the UMRC to provide opportunities for low-income, first-time homebuyers.
Programs: The UMRC programs include its Owner-Occupied Rehabilitation Program, an ongoing program for the rehabilitation or replacement of owner-occupied housing for very low-income rural families. In addition to the construction services, the United Methodist Relief Center provides advocacy services for program clients receiving housing assistance. The primary goal of these services is to work with individuals and/or families to increase their level of self-sufficiency in maintaining their homes and to increase their awareness of their property as an asset. Through the ET (Elderly Transportable) Housing Program, the UMRC provides on-site, rent-free housing to elderly poor persons who are living in homes beyond rehabilitation. ET houses---constructed, owned, and maintained by the UMRC---are provided to the client for as long as needed; they are then removed, refurbished, and reassigned. The Mutual Self-Help (MSH) Program enables low-income families to participate in homeownership through construction of their own homes in partnership with one another. For MSH participants the UMRC provides financial guidance to ready the prospective homebuyers to obtain a mortgage and assume the responsibilities of homeownership.