Sea Island Habitat for Humanity Reaches Campaign Goal to Fully Fund Infrastructure for “Sweetgrass Preserve,” a 50-Home Affordable Housing Neighborhood on Johns Island

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Sea Island Habitat for Humanity is thrilled to announce that it has successfully reached its campaign goal to fully fund the infrastructure costs for Sweetgrass Preserve, the organization’s upcoming 50-home affordable housing neighborhood on Johns Island. Thanks to the extraordinary generosity of the community, these funds were raised in just under one year, accelerating the project’s timeline by years and allowing construction to begin much sooner than anticipated.

Because of this rapid and collective effort, Sea Island Habitat will break ground on Sweetgrass Preserve in 2026, with plans to complete the first nine homes by the end of 2026. Securing infrastructure funding at this pace not only clears the way for site preparation and utility installation but also enables the organization to jump start vertical construction rather than delaying progress while raising the remaining funds.

“We are deeply grateful to everyone who stepped forward to make Sweetgrass Preserve a reality,” said John Rhoden, Executive Director of Sea Island Habitat for Humanity. “The speed at which our community came together to fund this infrastructure demonstrates a shared belief in the urgent need for affordable housing on Johns Island. Because of this generosity, families will be moving into safe and stable homes years sooner than would have otherwise been possible.”

Sweetgrass Preserve will provide 50 permanently affordable homes for families who live or work on Johns Island but face increasing challenges due to rising housing costs. While not the largest neighborhood ever developed by Sea Island Habitat, the project reflects the organization’s ongoing commitment to expanding homeownership opportunities and supporting long-term community stability across the Sea Islands.

Sea Island Habitat is preparing for the next phase of project planning and will share additional updates as groundbreaking approaches. Anyone interested in learning more about Sweetgrass Preserve or supporting the construction of these 50 homes is encouraged to visit www.seaislandhabitat.org.