Grace Church has purchased a dormitory building from Greenville Technical College to convert into affordable housing as part of a special program to address the local housing crisis.

The church will serve as the landlord for the property, and rent will be adjusted to fit families' income. Rent prices will range from $450 for a single room to $1,000 for a three-bedroom unit.

The goal, according to Grace Church's care and recovery ministry director LeeAnne Cavin, is that the average family will pay in the $900-range for a unit.

"We do have a crisis of housing," Cavin said. "Our whole community is really starting to desire collaboration."

The units are expected to open for rent the first week of June, and the church already has almost 40 families ready to move in.

Segregated by Section 8:A federal program that tries to house people leaves many homeless in the Southeast

The program will accept emergency housing vouchers through the Greenville Housing Authority but not Section 8 vouchers or extra subsidy from the federal government that goes directly toward rent.

To sign a lease in one of the units, families agree to be a part of a Grace Church housing program that offers medical coverage, dental care, a savings matching program, mental-health support, car maintenance, financial education, cooking classes, self-defense classes, and job and interview preparation.

Residents are expected to stay in the program for two to three years, and Grace is specifically looking to serve people coming from transitional housing and recovery programs and survivors of human trafficking, domestic violence and abuse.

The church will work with other housing organizations to find applicants, Cavin said.

Trying to fill the gap:How Greenville churches and faith groups address the local affordable-housing gap

More Grace Church news:Grace Church proposes downtown Greenville tower that would alter city's skyline

The property is the former Campus Pointe at Greenville Tech apartments on Cleveland Street and is located on a public bus line.

Requirements to stay in the program include:

The apartment units will work toward filling a much-needed housing shortage in Greenville.

A 2020 study by the Greenville Housing Fund found that almost half of Greenville County renters are cost-burdened, meaning they spend more than 30% of their income on housing and utilities. If you're paying more than 30% of your annual income on housing, you're paying more than you can afford while maintaining the ability to afford other needs, according to experts at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Recent affordable housing news:Greenville Housing Fund to allocate $4 million for service and healthcare workers

Grace Church has 10 locations across the Upstate and saw more than 6,000 attendees on average each Sunday in 2021.

Cavin said Grace Church is excited to expand its housing ministry and work with local housing organizations to do so.

"We're incredibly grateful to be a part of what Greenville is doing," Cavin said.

Genna Contino covers Greenville County and housing for The Greenville News. Contact Genna at gcontino@gannett.com or on Twitter @GennaContino. Subscribe to The Greenville News at greenvillenews.com/subscribe.

The 2022 Artisphere festival runs May 6-8 to bring a variety of visual, performing and culinary arts to downtown Greenville.

Admission is free and booths will set up along Main Street from Wardlaw Street to Court Street near City Hall.

Art classes, live music and a yoga session are part of this year's offerings.

Weather could impact start of festival:Severe weather expected to hit Greenville, Spartanburg and Anderson Friday afternoon

Favorites like Kidsphere, chalk artist David Zinn and interactive exhibits will return along with the Culinary Arts Cafe.

Two new features for 2022 are an "arts and drafts" exhibit and a student-teacher exhibit from the Fine Arts Center.

Parking is available at the downtown garages for an all-day special event rate of $6.

Streets will close at 4 a.m. Thursday for setup.

Here's what else you should know about the festival.

Arts and Drafts at Artisphere

Fine Arts Center Student-Teacher Exhibit at Artisphere

Kidsphere at Artisphere

Culinary Arts Cafe at Artisphere

Artisphere music schedule

This year’s music lineup consists of local groups like the Carolina Bronze Handbell Ensemble and regional acts like The Jamie Wright Band, Aztec Sun and The High Divers

► Friday

Main stage

Local performing arts stage

► Saturday

Main stage

Local performing arts stage

► Sunday

Main stage

Local performing arts stage

Demonstrations and art classes

Several demonstrations and free classes take place each day of the festival, including some take-home offerings to keep the creativity flowing. Read full descriptions and sign up at artisphere.org. Space and materials are limited, so registration is required.

► Friday

► Saturday

► Sunday

Stories like this are possible because of our subscribers. Please support journalism in Greenville and subscribe by visiting greenvillenews.com/subscribe.

– Caitlin Herrington, local reporter and lover of alliteration, covers government and growth in the Golden Strip. Get in touch with her at cherrington@greenvillenews.com and follow her on Twitter and Instagram @GVLnewsCat.

One of Greenville’s most popular festivals is finally back – which means awesome food, lively entertainment, and vendors with beautiful, traditional Greek items. The 2022 Greek Festival is happening at St. George Greek Orthodox Church in downtown Greenville, SC on May 13-15, 2022.

I look forward to the Greek Festival every year and count down the days until I get my baklava and gyro fix. The spring festival is during the perfect time of year, usually having good weather and lots of lively entertainment. This year, it’s back to in-person, too!

The St. George Greek Orthodox Church hosts three days worth of music, food, and authentic Greek vendors that sell clothes, jewelry, and other fun goods. I love strolling through the vendors and have purchased jewelry and headbands in the past, plus lots of good food. Did I mention their baklava is amazing?

The live music and dancing is back for 2022. You can see the full schedule of entertainment on the Greek Festival website. It’s jam-packed. There is a big, grassy seating area above the stage where you can hang out and watch the entertainment and there is also covered tables for dining.

The music is so lively and fun. It makes me wish I had any knowledge whatsoever of Greek dancing. The costumes are beautiful as well with lots of bright colors and jingly things on the ends. Again, showing my lack of knowledge of traditional Greek outfits (apologies).

The festival takes place at the St. George Greek Orthodox Church and they will be offering tours of the inside plus have an iconography exhibit available.

Food available on the festival grounds outdoors are their traditional Gyros, Athenian Chicken, Pastichio, and Moussakawe. They also have Greek Pizza, Lamb Burgers, Greek Fries, Souvlaki, Greek-Style Ribs, Baklava Sundaes, Greek Donuts (Loukoumades), Greek Coffee, Lemonade and Beer. New in 2022, they will have a Taverna with Greek beer, wine, and “mezedes”, which is a traditional Greek appetizer.

If you haven’t had Greek pastries before, you need to try them. They will have many for sale including baklava, koulourakia, kourambiedes or a combination assortment. Get the baklava. It’s a layered pastry of thin philo dough with honey and nuts. Oh my gosh, I’m so hungry.

If you’re not able to attend the festival but still want the great food available, you can order drive-thru. They will be offering Athenian Chicken, Pastichio, or Moussaka plus my personal favorite, Gyros. And you can still get baklava at the drive-thru, which is on Elford Street (you’ll enter off Academy Street).

The 2022 Greek Festival will take place at the St. George Greek Orthodox Church in downtown Greenville on May 13-15, 2022 (Friday-Sunday).

Admission is $2/person, which benefits the Barbara Stone Foundation. The hours are Friday and Saturday, 11 am -8 pm and Sunday, 11 am – 5 pm.

Who’s excited about the 2022 Greek Festival?

We are thrilled to announce that Kidding Around Media’s Editor-in-Chief and Owner, Bethany Winston, is the recipient of the 2022 Entrepreneurial Success Award, which recognizes the power of small businesses to use innovation to create jobs and expand their business model. It was sponsored by Forum Benefits.

The award ceremony was hosted by CommunityWorks and the Greenville Chamber at the Greenville Hyatt downtown. It was the sixth annual Excellence in Entrepreneurship Small Business Awards. The awards, except for the My Favorite Small Business Award, were selected by an expert panel from a list of nominations.

All of us at Kidding Around Media are so happy to celebrate this big win for our boss. She is a joy to work for and all of us are always amazed at her entrepreneurial spirit and business savvy as well as her dedication to serving other small businesses in our local community and showcasing the best of the Upstate.

A Night of Celebration for Small Businesses

There were seven award winners in total (all women, by the way!) and we sincerely congratulate every single one of them for their incredible accomplishments:

The Young Entrepreneur of the Year, sponsored by Furman Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, honors young business owners who combine their sense of community, today’s technology, and innovative business models to create some of Greenville’s most unique small businesses. The Young Entrepreneur of the Year award was presented to Ashton Link, Owner of 613 Boutique.

The Minority-Owned Business of the Year, sponsored by NHE, Inc., honors those who commit to building communities as well as their businesses and strives to serve as leaders and visionaries to create change. The Minority-Owned Small Business of the Year Award was presented to Suga Pie Honeybun, and accepted by Owner, Ebony Sullivan.

The Woman-Owned Business of the Year, sponsored by Creative Builders, honors a woman entrepreneur who has experienced the rewards and difficulties of owning a business. This award was presented to Exceptional Child Academy, accepted by the Founder and Director, Ashley Wilkins.

The Small Business Champion Award, sponsored by Greenville Technical College, is given to a business that fulfills a commitment to serve small businesses and entrepreneurs through innovative services and support. This year’s Small Business Champion Award winner is Off the Grid Greenville, accepted by Founder, Jackie Brooker.

The Business Resilience Award, sponsored by South Carolina Technology & Aviation Center, is new, given to a business that has shown resiliency through the trying times of COVID-19. This year’s winner is Dance Without Limits, accepted by Owner, Beth Bradley.

The My Favorite Small Business Award, sponsored by Piedmont Natural Gas, is a people’s choice award that gives neighbors a chance to demonstrate their support of their favorite small business by voting for a business they believe should be recognized. This year’s award recipient is Todem Brands, accepted by Founder and Chief Brand Leader, Rhem Galloway.

After being closed for over a year, LTO Burger Bar will soon reopen but with a slightly different menu.

LTO Burger & Bites, as the restaurant will now be called, is to reopen at 2541 North Pleasantburg Drive in Greenville in mid-July.

The reopening comes after SC Hospitality Group, the restaurant group that owns LTO along with Southern Culture Kitchen & Bar and HabiTap, has spent time and energy revamping the other concepts. Southern Culture has gotten an updated wine program and a refreshed menu, and HabiTap has evolved into a more formalized brewpub, thanks to the addition of Habitual, the restaurant's in-house brewing.

"LTO is such a great neighborhood brand, and we think it deserves to come back," SC Hospitality Group CEO Renee Boyett said in a written statement.

Updates include new menu items, which will broaden the appeal, as well as some interior updates, Boyett said.

But the feel and focus on being a neighborhood gathering spot will remain.

The new manifestation will bring LTO — named for lettuce, tomato and onion — into a broader realm, Boyett promised. That means the menu will still have burgers but will include a wider range of offerings, too.

Following that theme of broadening, other updates to the restaurant will focus on creating a space for everyone from families to foodies, Boyett said, from those seeking a quick bite to those seeking a nice dinner with good wine or a cocktail or a craft beer.

– Lillia Callum-Penso covers food for The Greenville News. She loves the stories recipes tell and finds inspiration in the people behind them. When she’s not exploring local food, she can be found running, both for pleasure and to keep up with her 6-year-old twins. Reach her at lpenso@greenvillenews.com, or at 864-478-5872, or on Facebook atfacebook.com/lillia.callumpenso.

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