Reynolds helps rebuild families by building homes

Lee Reynolds says his 20-year struggle with drug addiction helped tear many families down.

He likens his special project with Homes of Hope to “building families back up.”

That project was the construction of Homes of Hope’s 500th house.

Reynolds and seven other men who are in Homes of Hope’s Men’s Development program, along with volunteers from Fluor Corporation, constructed the house in Greenville’s Green Avenue neighborhood.

Homes of Hope is 16-year-old organization that “rebuilds communities through affordable and energy efficient or “LoCAL” housing. Its Men’s Development program is a year-long residential program designed to rebuild the lives of men overcoming addictions through biblical-based discipleship, life skills, job training and mentoring.

Reynolds, a 36-year-old husband and father of two, said he has been in the Men’s Development program for more than eight months. He said he’s since learned a lot about himself and the construction field.

In reference to being a part of the organization’s milestone construction, Reynolds said, “It’s rewarding knowing that Homes of Hope has been around that long and that God has blessed Homes of Hope the way that he has.”

“It’s an established thing that’s great because it helps the people who are in need,” he said. “It’s a caring thing.”

The organization’s 500th house is designated to a mother and her teen daughter who were homeless. The family is from the Greenville Area Interfaith Hospitality Network (GAIHN), said Denise Harris, Homes of Hope’s executive director of client.

Both mom and daughter are very excited, Harris said.

The 500th house is one of Homes of Hope’s LoCal homes, meaning its Long-term, compact affordable and LEED standard, said, Jordon Weldon, spokeswoman for Homes of Hope.

It’s built to the highest energy standard, so the goal for the family would be to pay about $300 in rent or mortgage and their energy bill would not go over $75, she said.

“So we’re looking at under $400 for a family making under $1,000 to $1,300 a month, so that’s 30 percent of their income which is the standard for affordability,” Weldon said.

LoCal homes are unique to other Homes of Hope houses in that they require corporate sponsorship of $39,000 to build. That helps lower the mortgage to about $30,000 for the family, Weldon said.

The financial sponsor for the 500th house is anonymous, Weldon said.

It was the first Homes of Hope house that Reynolds was involved in constructing. It took three months to complete.

He is working with the men on two other houses in the Green Avenue area. At the same time, he and others in the Men’s Development program are attending Greenville Technical College.

They’ll graduate with a certification in Basic Residential Construction (BRC) through Greenville Technical College’s Quick Jobs program.

As part of a partnership with Greenville Tech, Homes of Hope’s construction training program is now a Quick Job that leads to a national certification.

When Reynolds completes his year at Homes of Hope, he’s not sure if he’ll transition into the construction field.

He said he’ll go wherever God has him to go.

“Homes of Hope has been just a blessing to me and my family. There’s not just one aspect to Homes of Hope. I’m building all this stuff, but I’m also building my faith for God which is the biggest for me,” Reynolds said.