Transylvania Habitat for Humanity has spent more than 40 years working to ensure that Transylvania County residents have safe, stable, and affordable places to call home. The need is significant: the county’s single-family housing affordability index has dropped to 64.4 over the past five years, and market-rate home prices ranging from approximately $509,500 to over $574,000 place homeownership well out of reach for many working families earning the county’s median household income. Hurricane Helene compounded that reality, with FEMA identifying nearly 700 owner-occupied homes and 124 renter households damaged or destroyed — likely an undercount.
To date, Transylvania Habitat has built 85 homes locally, completed more than 200 critical home repairs, and supported more than 90 families through hurricane recovery. The organization is now preparing to develop three affordable housing communities totaling 62 homes for households earning below 80% of AMI, while completing approximately 100 critical repairs annually — work expected to provide stable housing for an estimated 750 individuals in the county over the next three years.
Lake Toxaway Charities is proud to support the expansion of Transylvania Habitat’s ReStore, a social enterprise that generates locally sustained revenue to fund housing construction and repair. The expansion will add 2,400 square feet of retail and donation processing space, increasing the ReStore’s capacity to accept and resell donated building materials, appliances, and home goods. In a recent six-month period, the ReStore increased revenue by $115,000 — a 14.5% increase — and the expanded footprint is projected to increase revenue per square foot from $87 to $125 or more.
Partnerships supporting this work include the City of Brevard, Transylvania County, the Mary C. Jenkins Community Center, the NAACP, Blue Ridge Community College, Schenck Job Corps, and multiple disaster recovery organizations coordinating Helene response across the region.
For more information please write to or call Adam Dewitte at adam.dewitte@transylvaniahabitat.org or 828-884-3907.
Learn More: transylvaniahabitat.org
