This Jasper County group championed affordable housing for 20+ years. It’s expanding
Tedd Moyd shuffles through papers on his desk, moving from one pile to the next until he finds the right one.
His gaze shifts to the computer screen for just a moment — until the phone rings.
Minutes later, two women are knocking on the front door.
It’s always busy at Jasper County Neighbors United, and Moyd, the executive director, prefers it that way.
“Just a moment,” he shouts out as he walks out of his wood-paneled office, decorated with photos of loved ones and a weathered sign: “VOTE Edward ‘TED’ Moyd” for Jasper County School District.
“Oh, this is nice!” one of the women says as she enters the newly renovated building. “I woke up this morning and said, ‘I’ve got to go check on Tedd and that new office.’”
He smiles, softly laughing, and gives them a quick tour before returning to paperwork.
“People just keep stopping in,” he said. “They know we’ve moved, and they want to see the place.”
After months of prepping, buying, and building, Jasper County Neighbors United moved into its new, permanent corporate office on Nov. 9.
The agency, whose mission is to help poor and disadvantaged residents in Jasper County and surrounding communities in areas such as housing, education, human services and youth development, has been an advocate for affordable housing for more than two decades. Moyd and his wife, Mary Charles Davis, have led Neighbors United for nearly as long.
Moyd said this move was the fourth in JCNU’s history and, he hopes, the last.
The office is inside the old Hardeeville library on Main Street. For most of the renovations, the agency hired non-professionals as part of JCNU’s “workforce stability” initiative, one of the agency’s three priorities. (The other two are affordable housing and education.)
“We didn’t go out and hire a contractor to do this, but instead we went out to the local community,” he said. Pointing at the walls, he said, “You can see the flares and flaws, but it’s fine. I mean, no one’s perfect. I pulled people from the community off the street to help, and they wanted to, because they know if we’re sustained that they’re sustained.”
With the new office come more opportunities to expand services, Moyd said.
JCNU will host classes on buying a home for the first time, as well as credit recovery and financial literacy.
All the while, JCNU continues to operate the Mercy Circle Apartment complex it bought in 2009, hoping to expand to provide more home options for residents who need one. The group also helps with fresh food distributions, home repairs and down payment assistance, among other services.
With the COVID-19 pandemic cutting residents’ working hours, and the ongoing I-95 Exit 3 project — which will bring growth and likely lead to a higher cost of living — JCNU’s mission and vision are becoming more important now.
The agency hasn’t changed its day-to-day operations, though.
“We continue to do the same thing: help poor people with housing and social issues,” he said. “We’ve been doing this for 20 years. We have the history. We know what it takes and what works here and what we need here.”
He said that won’t change because of a new office location or pandemic.
“We’ve been steadily moving on,” Moyd said. “Everyone should be able to come home every day to a decent, safe, and sanitary house in a community that is safe and in an environment that helps grow the community.”
