About SERCAP
SERCAP helps rural communities build the foundations every family needs to thrive: clean drinking water, reliable wastewater systems, safe housing, and economic opportunity.
Since 1969, we have worked alongside residents, local leaders, water and wastewater systems, small businesses, and community organizations to solve challenges that rural communities often lack the resources to address alone. Today, SERCAP serves communities across Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida.
It started with clean water
SERCAP’s story began in Virginia’s Roanoke Valley, where hundreds of rural families lacked safe drinking water. Some collected water from contaminated creeks and springs. Others caught rainwater in buckets or purchased the water they needed from grocery stores.
Community leaders knew something had to change. In 1968, they organized the Demonstration Water Project, which was formally established the following year. Its purpose was straightforward but ambitious: help rural communities develop safe, dependable water systems of their own.
Over the next 25 years, the Demonstration Water Project helped communities secure financing, obtain official approvals, access engineering assistance, and establish locally managed water systems. Community members were then equipped to operate those systems—from reading meters and issuing bills to collecting the revenue needed to keep them running.
The model proved so successful that it helped inspire the creation of the Rural Community Assistance Partnership, or RCAP. Today, RCAP is a national network of six regional partners and a national office serving rural communities in all 50 states and U.S. territories. SERCAP serves as the network’s regional partner in the Southeast.
Our work today
SERCAP’s work has grown considerably since those first community water projects, but our purpose remains the same: helping rural communities access the resources and expertise they need to create lasting change.
Our services include:
- Training and technical assistance for water and wastewater systems, operators, and governing boards
- Grants and loans for community water and wastewater projects
- Assistance for households facing urgent well, septic, and plumbing needs
- Owner-occupied housing rehabilitation and housing counseling
- Small-business financing and business development support
- Entrepreneurship education and training
Because rural challenges are often interconnected, our work extends beyond a single project or program. Safe water supports public health. Reliable infrastructure allows communities to grow. Stable housing helps families remain rooted. Small-business support strengthens local economies. Together, these investments help create healthier and more resilient communities.
A voice for rural communities
SERCAP also advocates for rural communities and raises awareness that many families in the United States still live without safe drinking water, adequate wastewater service, or complete indoor plumbing.
In 2016, SERCAP President and CEO Hope Cupit was invited to speak at the White House Water Summit about the continued need for clean, safe drinking water and the organization’s A Day Without Indoor Plumbing campaign. The invitation brought national attention to an issue SERCAP has worked to address for more than five decades.
What began as a local effort to bring clean water to families in rural Virginia has become a regional organization serving communities across seven states—and contributing to a model now used nationwide. Through it all, SERCAP has remained grounded in the belief that where someone lives should never determine whether they have clean water, safe housing, or the opportunity to build a secure future.