United Way of Greenville County Welcomes Families Home

Picture this: After ten years of sleeping on sidewalks, you finally get the chance to move into a real home. There's just one catch: you can't bring your best friend.

That's exactly what happened to an elderly couple in Greenville, South Carolina. For a decade, they stayed outside together because Greenville didn't have a single shelter that would let couples stay side by side. They could have split up to get a roof over their heads, but they chose to stay together on the street instead.

And when housing finally came through? They'd have to leave their dog behind.

Greenville Together, a hosted initiative of United Way of Greenville County, exists because no one should have to trade love for safety. It's a coordinated community effort to help people experiencing homelessness find stable housing without forcing impossible choices. Through partnerships with shelters, housing providers, and service organizations, Greenville Together works to keep families together while getting them off the streets.

What "Safe" Means When You Don't Have a Home.

Image

Sherry spent years without a home before Greenville Together helped her find housing. She remembers how the smallest things became her biggest worries.

"Being a woman, our minds run wild. And my mind was, oh crud, where am I going to take a shower? Where am I going to wash my clothes?"

She also remembers what it took just to survive the night.

"A lot of the parking lots inside the city limits are very dangerous. There's substance abuse. Violence. Robberies. People don't realize this is going on inside the homeless community."

Why Greenville asked United Way to lead.

In the fall of 2024, homelessness was growing exponentially in Greenville. The city had strong service providers, but they operated in silos. There wasn't a unified response that could actually reduce homelessness. So the City of Greenville asked United Way of Greenville County to bring the right people to the table and come up with a plan.  

“United Way’s role is to bring the right people together to solve problems that no single organization can solve alone.” said Meghan Barp, President & CEO of United Way of Greenville County. Greenville Together created the structure for our community to act collectively, move faster and help more of our neighbors find a path home.”

Image

"When we see a gap in our community, it's time for us to step in and fill that gap," says Cody Carver from Greenville Together. United Way convened a 41-person task force that included business leaders, faith leaders, local government representatives, nonprofit service providers, and most importantly, people with lived experience of homelessness. They brought in national consultants who had helped other communities see significant reductions in homelessness. Together, they analyzed what was working in Greenville, what wasn't, and what other communities were doing really well.

United Way launched Greenville Together in March 2025 with the simple goal of a coordinated response that put people first. As Cody explains, the approach is about "taking care of housing first before addressing other issues." They created a faster path to housing with referrals from law enforcement, support from people with lived experience being homeless, and landlords who wanted to help.

In just five months, Greenville Together housed 90 households, which means 154 people who once were experiencing homelessness now have a safe place to call home.

Giving Families a Fresh Start 

Image

Suzanne and her family were living in their car. Every night, they searched for somewhere safe to park, but safety never lasted long.

"The police officer came around and he was very respectful, very kind. He was making sure we were okay," Suzanne remembers. "And he came back and talked to Jason some more and said, 'I think I might have something that'll help.'" A few months into their apartment, the basics started coming back. 

"Just having a place where we can lay down and rest every night, we're not trying to find the next restroom facility," Jason said. "It's been a gamechanger."

For Suzanne, it was also about her kids. "I was afraid that where we lived would become a stigma on their lives.” She’s grateful to the people who made it possible.

"I want to say thank you to all of the donors and to everyone who made this possible. It brings peace and hope to people who may not be able to find that anywhere else in their lives."