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  • Greene County tax assessor Candice Lawson accepts a property tax check from Habitat Homeowners Tina White and Tamika Miller and Habitat director Elaine Matthews. Contributed photo

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March 3, 2010

Greene County Habitat Homeowners pay property taxes

Lake Oconee Breeze

GREENSBORO — Since 1996, Habitat has built homes in Greene County. First one, then two, then three — now there are 27 homeowners who pay annual property taxes. Individually this may not seem like much, but in the past 14 years Habitat has increased the tax base by more than $1.5 million, which generates nearly $11,000 in property tax each year. 

Habitat Homebuyers are proud to attend their house closing, knowing that they have accomplished the strict criteria of Sweat Equity and Education Workshops and are ready to take on a zero-interest mortgage that includes escrow payments that are accumulated to pay annual county and city taxes and insurance.  This year the homes generated tax revenue of $10, $807.78 for Greene County, $2,953.74 for the City of Greensboro and $705.64 for the City of Union Point.

Habitat serves low-income families, whose household income is below 60 percent of the median income in the county, who have need and are truly living in substandard conditions. All of our families are coming from unsatisfactory situations and oftentimes living in overcrowded apartments or trailers.  Many of our families are coming from public housing, and by purchasing a Habitat house, these families become empowered citizens who are no longer dependent on the city and government for housing support, but rather they become productive citizens contributing to the tax base. Habitat does not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, gender, family dynamics, disability or ethnic background.

Once a family is selected into our program, they are required to put in hundreds of hours of sweat equity, attending workshops held by Habitat, learning about finances, budgeting, how to maintain a house and other essential life skills to prepare them for homeownership. Families are also required to put in more than 100 hours of sweat equity on construction of their own and others’ houses. In doing so, our families have pride and ownership in their houses.

Habitat for Humanity is not a one-time, temporary fix for our families, but rather a permanent solution to an ongoing cycle of poverty, which for many has been a generational problem. Habitat is not simply building houses but building lives and empowering families to fulfill hopes and dreams that would otherwise be unattainable. If you would like to get involved with Greene County Habitat for Humanity, contact the Habitat office at (706) 453-1718 or e-mail volunteer@gchabitat.com.

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