By Megan Fitzgerald, Greenville Journal
Greenville Organized for Accountable Leadership aims to tackle the need for affordable housing and reliable transportation for its third year of justice ministry.
The issues were identified from meetings held by the local congregations participating in the local interfaith group, which is known as GOAL. Close to 800 personal accounts were heard about the issues impacting the local community. Four topics were identified as the most pressing:
- Affordable housing
- Transportation
- Mental health
- Jobs/wages
The coalition voted to focus specifically on identifying solutions for affordable housing and transportation in Greenville County during an assembly held Nov. 7. Nearly 350 members from GOAL’s 29 congregations met at Springfield Baptist Church in Greenville.
Community problems
This will be GOAL’s third year working to address the ongoing shortage of affordable housing in Greenville County. For the past two years, the coalition has focused on encouraging local governments to secure $10 million in annual funding for the creation of affordable housing.
Rabbi Samuel Rose of the Temple of Israel and a tri-president for GOAL explained that it was clear in listening to the community that there was still a long way to go in addressing affordable housing. For its third year, the justice coalition may find a new route to take in solving this issue.
From talking with the community, GOAL also discovered that many people in Greenville County struggle to access safe and reliable transportation. The Rev. Greg Dover with Augusta Heights Baptist Church explained that public transportation is minimal throughout the county.
“From what we heard from most people is people who don’t have the funds to own and maintain a car are really kind of out of luck,” Dover said. “Transportation is sorely lacking. It’s inefficient.”
The coalition will begin to research these issues further over the next few months. This process will include the members discussing possible solutions with community leaders. GOAL will hold a rally on March 13, 2025, where reports on what the best course of action is to help solve the problems will be revealed.
For more information about GOAL, visit goaljustice.com.
Viw the original story here.
