Together We Build 2026!

Fitzgerald, GA

March 1st - 21st, 2026

Together We Build is a state-wide mission project of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of
Georgia, in partnership with Together for Hope and the Fuller Center for Housing.

We work on these issues because we have made a spiritual decision to follow Jesus.”
- Rev. Chuck Poole, Together for Hope Faith & Advocacy Consultant

Here are some things to know about what we're doing and how this project came to be:

Why Fitzgerald?

Ben Hill County is a county of persistent rural poverty according to the USDA. Together for Hope is committed to supporting these counties nationwide in any way possible.
Two CBF GA affiliated churches are located there: First Baptist & Fellowship Baptist. They are providing necessary local support and assistance.
The Fuller Center for Housing has a Fitzgerald Branch Office...
This triangular partnership is the perfect union to build a house!

When did CBF GA make a commitment to persistent rural poverty counties in our state?

In 2022, CBF GA signed an MOU with Together for Hope Rural Development Coalition to formalize a
partnership to make an impact in the poorest counties in Georgia, which are rural.
In 2024, the CBF GA State Missions Offering was dedicated to affordable housing efforts in GA’s
persistent rural poverty counties. $10K of the offering assisted in funding a new affordable housing build in
Sumter County, GA, and the remaining $12K will go toward the Together We Build affordable home in Ben Hill
County, GA, that is taking place in April of 2025.

Why did CBF GA make a commitment to walk alongside counties of persistent rural poverty?

Caring for the needs of those experiencing poverty is a central part of the Christian mission.
The leaders of CBF GA, over many years, have demonstrated a calling to provide
presence, to show Christ’s love, and to offer support in the most under-resourced places
in the state. Georgia’s rural counties, located in the southern half of the state, are the
poorest counties in Georgia.
Many of the members in CBF GA congregations can trace their families back to rural
communities and have a deep love and connection with GA’s rural spaces.
The strength of Georgia’s rural communities is essential for the health of all Georgians.
These rural counties provide the food and natural resources upon which the entire state
depends. (Georgia’s most profitable industry is agriculture, generating $74B annually.)

What kind of commitment is required to build an affordable home in Ben Hill County, GA?

The square footage of the new affordable home in Fitzgerald is roughly 1200 sq. ft. and will cost approximately
$125,000 to build with volunteer labor, so each sq. ft. will cost approximately $100.
If each church affiliated with CBF GA sent the funds for 16 sq. ft. ($1600 each), it would be fully funded!
Volunteer labor is necessary to build an affordable home - please consider signing up to participate.
What is persistent poverty, and why is it especially difficult to overcome in rural spaces?
Persistent Rural Poverty - persistent rural poverty exists when 20% or more of a county has lived below the federal poverty line ($15,650 income for a household of one) for 30+ years. Based on census data, this level of generational poverty is documented by the USDA every 10 years.
Persistent Rural Poverty - rural poverty is especially problematic because rural communities are lacking many
of the resources that are present in urban areas. Due to geographic isolation, rural spaces have limited
access to healthcare, quality public education, transportation, necessary infrastructure, and affordable/
workforce housing that is present in urban spaces.

Why is affordable housing so critical in rural communities of persistent poverty?

Enabling families to own, rather than rent or live in overcrowded conditions, is a proven strategy to address
poverty. It translates into improved health and educational outcomes for children and adults.
Stable housing also affords families the opportunity to build wealth, to engage more in their communities,
and to grow into all the good that God intends for all of us.
Many urban counties have a housing trust fund that can be used to create affordable homes. Most rural
counties do not have this capacity. GA’s state housing trust fund also spends most of its funding in urban
counties since large housing orgs can better compete for funds than smaller rural housing providers.
“We don’t work for health, food, and housing justice because we have made an ideological decision to do so.

Together We Build; Fitzgerald!

By Together for Hope

Together We Build; Fitzgerald!

Join us as we partner with CBF Georgia and the Fuller Center for Housing to make a family's dream of home-ownership come true!