December 2006 News & Updates

South Carolina CED Grant
Governor Mark Sanford and the SC General Assembly appropriated $1 million in the 2006/2007 State Budget to fund the S.C. Community Economic Development Act. The Act authorizes state funds to be awarded to certified community development corporations (CDCs) in South Carolina. The South Carolina Association of CDCs partnered with the S.C. Department of Commerce to administer this program. We received 19 requests, totaling $1.7 million. Awardees include:

• Allendale County ALIVE, Inc.
• Camden First CDC
• Charleston Area CDC
• Metanoia
• Midlands CDC
• Santee Lynches Affordable Housing & CDC
• Soteria World Outreach Ministries
• Sumter County CDC, Inc.
• Community Assistance Provider

SCACDC CIF Grant
Grant support is provided for this Fund through the leveraging of resources totaling $175,000 through Enterprise Community Partners and the Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation. These funds, together with training and project specific technical assistance, will increase the capacity of the community development corporations (CDCs) in South Carolina. The SCACDC Community Impact Fund (CIF) will fund initiatives of member CDCs to facilitate development of commercial, affordable housing or other economic development projects. Awardees include:

• Allendale County ALIVE, Inc.
• Blackville CDC
• Charleston Area CDC
• Community Assistance Provider, Inc.
• CDC of Marlboro County
• Eau Claire Development Corporation
• Higher Grounds CDC
• Jenkins Hill CDC
• Midlands CDC
• Santee-Lynches Affordable Housing and CDC
• Sumter County CDC, Inc.

Unfortunately, we were not able to fund all requests, nor were we able to fund everyone at the maximum grant level. We are hopeful that the funds provided to the CDCs can be used to support their work and leverage other funding. Congratulations!

Washington, DC – According to a report released today, the Housing Wage for South Carolina is $ 11.82. The Housing Wage is the hourly wage a family must earn – working 40 hours a week, 52 weeks a year – to be able to afford rent and utilities in the private housing market. This represents an increase of 19.9% since 2000.

“Every year it is becoming more difficult for low income families to find decent homes they can afford in South Carolina,” said Robert Thomas, President of the Affordable Housing Coalition of SC. “This report clearly illustrates the pressing need for affordable housing in our communities.”

The report, Out of Reach 2006, was jointly released by the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC), a Washington, DC-based housing advocacy group, and the Affordable Housing Coalition of South Carolina, Inc. The report provides the Housing Wage and other data for every state, metropolitan area and county in the country.

The typical renter in SC earns $ 9.77, which is $ 2.05 less than the hourly wage needed to afford a modest unit.

Working at the minimum wage of $5.15 per hour, a family must have 2.3 wage earners working full-time – or one full-time earner working 92 hours per week – to afford a modest two-bedroom apartment.

An estimated 43% of renters in SC do not earn enough income to afford a two-bedroom unit at the Fair Market Rent.

This year, South Carolina is the seventeenth most expensive state in the nation for renters. The National Housing Wage is $16.31.

Additional information on the 2006 Out of Reach facts for South Carolina is attached for your review.

The Affordable Housing Coalition of South Carolina, Inc., is the lead advocate for providing resources for low to moderate income families in our state to obtain clean, safe and affordable housing.

For additional information, visit http://www.nlihc.org/oor/oor2006/

For more information contact:
Robert Thomas, President
803-259-7636, RThomas@SCRHA3.com
Gloria J.Bowden, Executive Director
803-808-2980, gjbowden@affordablehousingsc.org