For six South Carolina residents, this fear was all too close to reality.

However, thanks to the United Methodist Relief Center, Hattie Davis of Beaufort County, Ernest Drawdy of Wadmalaw Island, Mattie Mack of Orangeburg County, Randy Burch of Mount Pleasant, Harold Redmond of Union County, and Cassie Hamilton of Beaufort County will receive new homes this Christmas season.

The United Methodist Relief Center (UMRC) works year round to assist South Carolina residents living in substandard housing. Often, UMRC clients are threatened with homelessness or are already homeless due to issues surrounding substandard housing.

This Christmas season, UMRC announced that six deserving South Carolina residents will receive new homes.

'Everyone deserves a safe, warm, and dry place to call home, especially during the Christmas season,' said Pat Goss, executive director of the United Methodist Relief Center. 'We are so excited that we have the ability to help clients like Randy Burch, who deserve some good fortune and a helping hand.'

By Christmas, Burch will officially have a new place to call home, in the very community in which he previously lived.

Randy became a client of UMRC due to the tireless efforts of dedicated neighbors in the Dunes West Community. He was lucky enough to have his community stand behind him and help him raise the $20,000 needed to provide him with a new home.

The greatest challenge for the UMRC is to raise the necessary funds to provide clients like Randy with a new home. Without the support of the community, clients like Randy would not be able to go ‘home for the holidays.

Elderly Transportable Cottages, or ETs, are stick-built homes on recycled manufactured housing frames.

They are a practical, economical, and environmentally friendly way to replace elderly and disabled homeowner's housing that has deteriorated past the point of repair. ETs allow the elderly to remain on their own property.

The relatively minimal cost per unit for materials, coupled with the volunteer labor to construct it, makes the ET project one that individuals, churches, and other organizations can easily fund and/or construct.

Call 843-884-4860 or e-mail taramiller@umrc.org, or visit www.umrc.org.