Southern Hills Preservation Corporation (SHPC) was established as a private, nonprofit organization in 1986 to provide needed housing services to low- and moderate- income residents of southern Onondaga County. The agency was formed with the assistance and guidance of P.E.A.C.E., Inc., the county’s human services agency. SHPC's Board of Directors set goals, oversees finances, and works with staff to carry out programs.

Southern Onondaga County was targeted as the focus of the agency's activities because of its rural characteristics, modest average incomes, and scattered population. Although the trend toward suburbanization in the 1970s and 1980s has left its mark on southern Onondaga County, the area retains close ties to agriculture.