Southeast Rural Community Assistance Project (SERCAP) was founded in 1969 and has spent over five decades serving low-to-moderate income individuals and rural communities throughout the southeastern United States. The organization focuses on addressing fundamental infrastructure and housing challenges that impact quality of life in underserved areas, particularly in Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida.
SECAP offers comprehensive assistance across four main service areas: owner-occupied housing rehabilitation for low-income individuals, support programs for small business owners and job seekers, water and wastewater infrastructure solutions for communities, and broader community development initiatives. Their Housing Department helps rural residents maintain safe, warm, and dry homes through rehabilitation services. They provide training, technical assistance, and financial support to help communities and individuals implement sustainable solutions for affordable water and wastewater systems.
What distinguishes SERCAP is their combination of individual and community-level interventions—they don't just help individual homeowners but also work with entire communities on infrastructure challenges. In fiscal year 2023, they invested $6.4 million directly into small rural communities and low-to-moderate income individuals, positively impacting over 150,000 people across 240+ communities. Their long operational history since 1969 demonstrates sustained commitment to rural development in the Southeast.
As a legitimate non-profit organization, SERCAP provides genuinely free or subsidized assistance rather than high-cost lending products. However, the website provides limited detail about specific eligibility requirements, application processes, or service timelines. Their broad service offerings make it important for potential clients to contact them directly to understand which specific programs match their needs, as the website emphasizes various mission areas without deep program-level detail.