Together We Build 2026!

Greenville, MS

September 27th - November 7th, 2026

Together We Build is a project of Together for Hope, a 25-year, over 150-organization rural poverty coalition, in partnership with the Fuller Center for Housing, to build quality affordable homes in counties of persistent rural poverty in the United States—one family, one block, one square foot at a time.

Our Fall 2026 build season is in Washington County, MS. Come build with us in Greenville!

Every $100 you give helps build one square foot of home. Donate today to help a family put down roots.

Volunteers:

Out of town? Please register on this page and complete our Volunteer Information Form: https://forms.gle/NgJgPxd7jGzkfMbi9

Local? You are welcome to just show up at the build site — bring yourself, your people, and your gifts. For providing meals and planning, registration can be helpful to us, and you will receive more information. You can register for a free pass on this page and/or fill out our Volunteer Information Form here: https://forms.gle/NgJgPxd7jGzkfMbi9

We need local help to provide meals and to donate or let us borrow tools for volunteer builders--please reach out if you want to join in!

Contact in Lake Village: Breana Patterson, Together for Hope Delta Director of Programs & Partnerships, breana@tfhope.org

"How do you write a future instead of a history?"

— Rev. Jason Coker, Together for Hope President

Washington County has long memories — and long traditions of building.

The faith communities, civic organizations, and cooperative networks that have organized for housing and equity in the Mississippi Delta for generations are the backbone of this work. Together We Build is honored to walk alongside them.

Why Greenville?

The Mississippi Delta's rural counties feed and sustain the nation — and the people who do that work have organized for their own communities for generations.

Washington County is one of 338 counties the USDA has classified as experiencing persistent rural poverty — defined as 20% or more of residents living below the federal poverty line for 30 years or more. Persistent poverty is not a natural condition; it is the residue of policy choices that extracted wealth from rural places. The Delta's faith communities and civic networks have organized against that extraction since Reconstruction.
The Fuller Center for Housing brings decades of experience building affordable homes nationwide — and a Greenville presence ready to lead construction.
Together for Hope walks alongside 150+ grassroots organizations across 30 states, with regional leadership rooted in the Delta. We don't arrive with outside solutions. We convene, connect, and resource what local communities are already building.

Together, this is the right coalition in the right place at the right time — and we are ready to build.

What does it take to build an affordable home in Washington County?

A new home is roughly 1,200 square feet and costs about $100,000 to build with volunteer labor — approximately $100 per square foot.

Donations fund the materials. Volunteers provide the labor. Families receive the keys.

"We don't work for health, food, and housing justice because we have made an ideological decision to do so. We work on these issues because we have made a spiritual decision to follow Jesus."

— Rev. Chuck Poole, Together for Hope Faith & Advocacy Consultant

The work compounds.

Together We Build is one season in a 25-year coalition movement. Across Together for Hope's network, partners have completed 26,718 home repairs, constructed 3,469 homes, distributed more than 2.3 million pounds of food since 2016, and engaged 70,660 volunteers contributing 2.2 million hours of service. Every Washington County home built this fall adds to that movement — and the families who lead it.

What is persistent rural poverty—and why is it so hard to overcome?

Persistent rural poverty exists when 20% or more of a county has lived below the federal poverty line for 30 years or more. The USDA measures this every 10 years using census data. For a family of four, the federal poverty line is just $33,000 a year.

Rural poverty is especially stubborn because rural communities lack what urban ones often take for granted: access to healthcare, quality public schools, transportation, and—most critically—affordable housing. Geographic isolation deepens every other inequality.

Why does affordable housing matter?

Homeownership is a proven pathway out of poverty. It improves health outcomes, lifts children's educational achievement, and lets families build real wealth.
Stable housing gives families the foundation to engage in their communities and grow into the fullness of life God intends for all of us.
Most urban counties have housing trust funds to build affordable homes. Most rural counties do not. That's the gap Together We Build exists to close.

Donate Now — $100 builds one square foot. Every gift moves a family closer to home.

Lodging in Greenville

We are working with local organizations and churches to discuss places groups can stay at a low cost, and there are local camp spots. Contact us at breana@tfhope.org to discuss!

Special volunteer discounted rates are available at the following hotels:

Holiday Inn Express $122 plus tax nightly, Manager Mary Willams

Call for this special volunteer rate: (662) 332-5800

Tru By Hilton $132 plus tax nightly, Manager Samantha Nelson

Call for this special volunteer rate: (662) 378-2525

Hampton Inn By Hilton $142 plus tax nightly- Manager, Barbara Walker newly renovated

All Double Queens are listed here at the direct link with a special volunteer rate–if you want a King room, just ask at check in, and they will modify the room type upon arrival.

(662) 335-7515

Click here to book Hampton Inn with a special volunteer rate:

https://www.hilton.com/en/book/reservation/deeplink/?ctyhocn=GLHMSHX&groupCode=CHHHHV&arrivaldate=2026-09-27&departuredate=2026-10-09&cid=OM,WW,HILTONLINK,EN,DirectLink&fromId=HILTONLINKDIRECT

Together We Build: Greenville!

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