News & Updates

On February 1, 2007, The S.C. Association of Community Development Corporations (SCACDC) presented our 2007 Public Policy Agenda to Governor Sanford and the S.C. General Assembly in Columbia. The Agenda includes strategies to help working poor families receive tax credit refunds, strategies to increase opportunities for new entrepreneurs to find capital, as well as laws to protect the income and assets of the working poor in South Carolina.

The SCACDC believes that poverty is a result of systemic forces rather than individual lifestyle choices. Thus, our mission is to address not only the symptoms of poverty but also its root causes. We do this by advancing the state community economic development industry. In order to raise the level of economic development in distressed communities in South Carolina, SCACDC seeks to develop systems that support the economic development work of local non-profit development corporations. We also recognize the need for a comprehensive strategy to reduce poverty and grow wealth among cash-poor families and communities.

The S.C. Association of CDCs is building off of a major legislative victory in 2006, when the State Legislature and Governor Sanford appropriated the first $1 million of $5 million promised in the S.C. Community Economic Development Act of 2000. The first offering of grants from the $1 million CED Fund in 2006 drew requests totaling $1.7 million. Additionally, according to data collected from CDCs in South Carolina, the gap in capital to finance community economic development projects exceeds $30 million. To help meet this capital gap, the South Carolina Association of CDCs is seeking an additional $4 million in funding from the S.C. General Assembly to leverage the grants from the CED Fund and provide micro-credit and establish micro-financial institutions (MFIs) to help capitalize meritorious projects in communities.

In addition to the continued funding for CDCs, the SCACDC will advocate for the establishment of a state earned income tax credit (EITC) that rewards work. The South Carolina Earned Income Tax Credit would allow a refundable state individual income tax credit equal to 10% of the federal earned income tax credit and annually increase the amount of the credit in increments of 2-1/2% until the credit equals 20%. In 2005, over 430,000 individuals received the federal EITC, pumping over $500 million into the State’s economy. It is projected that a state EITC will providing working families with an additional $100 million.

“Although tremendous progress has been made in the past few years, to include over 400 units o affordable housing, over 100 jobs created, and over $40 million added to the tax base of local communities, but poverty data reminds us that our dream of the Beloved Community is still unfulfilled. The South Carolina Association of Community Development Corporation (SCACDC) is placing our self in the heart of the economic justice struggle by creating solutions to reduce poverty through empowerment,” says Bernie Mazyck, President and CEO of the South Carolina Association of CDCs.

If you wish to view and download SCACDC’s 2007 Public Policy Agenda, click on the Grassroots tab.

A Community Development Message
Celebrating the Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr.

by Bernie Mazyck, President & CEO
South Carolina Association of Community Development Corporations

January 15, 2007

As we pause for a moment on this Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day to celebrate, commemorate, and meditate on the life, impact, and sacrifice of America’s Profit, I ask that we re-dedicate ourselves to the cause of reducing poverty through empowerment.

We are almost 39 years after an assassin’s bullet took the life of Dr. King, while he was in the midst of supporting the garbage workers of Memphis, Tennessee. His visit to Memphis took place while he was planning a major march on Washington to address the poverty that existed in America. His march was not only for poor African Americans, but also poor Whites, poor Puerto Ricans, the poor Irish, etc. This march, and the subsequent civil actions that would follow, was to be known as the “Poor Peoples Campaign”, which Dr. King extolled as the harbinger of a new Jerusalem. Dr. King compared the Poor Peoples Campaign to David’s fighting the Goliath of injustice. Dr. King was determined to make America the truly great nation it was called to be…and we do too.

Almost 20 years ago, another great prophet of our time, the late Pope John Paul, II addressed citizens of New Orleans with a message of economic justice for all. Pope John Paul, II said, Even in this wealthy nation, committed by its founding fathers to the dignity and equality of all persons, the Black community suffers a disproportionate share of economic deprivation. Far too many of our young people receive less than an equal opportunity for a quality education and for gainful employment.

In 2007, South Carolina’s economy continues to lag behind the nation. This fact impacts individuals and families in every community in South Carolina. A recent article in the Post and Courier newspaper (Charleston) highlighted the continuing gap between the income of whites and blacks in the greater Charleston area. White households in the Charleston area had a median income of $52,513, while the median income for Black households was $30,015. The poverty rate for Blacks is 24.3 percent, while the poverty rate for Whites is 8.8 percent. This fact has resulted in an increase in traffic of emergency food banks and cloths closets. And while homeownership, as a strategy for building wealth, has increased in the state and nationally, Blacks and Hispanic homebuyers in the area pay more for mortgages than do Whites, according to a Federal Reserve report.

These are only 2 indicators that remind us that Dr. King’s dream of the Beloved Community is still unfulfilled. The South Carolina Association of Community Development Corporation (SCACDC) is placing our self in the heart of the economic justice struggle by creating solutions to reduce poverty through empowerment. Though we have seen tremendous progress in the past few years, including over 400 units of affordable housing developed, over 100 jobs created, over $40 million added to the tax base of local communities, and the appropriation of the first $1 million by the S.C. General Assembly to fund the S.C. Community Economic Development Act of 2000, we still have a long way to go. So SCACDC has put forward an aggressive agenda for the next 5 years to Build Wealth…One Community at a Time, and we ask you to join us in this effort.

We will kick off our effort on February 1, 2007 with our CED Day at the Dome, where we will urge the members of the S.C. General Assembly to:
• Continue funding the S.C. Community Economic Development Act by appropriating $5 million for grants and loans for fiscal year 2007-2008.
• Creating a state Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) equal to 20% of the federal EITC that rewards work and reduces poverty.
• Enact legislation that curbs the proliferation of rapid access lenders (RALs) that pray on the working poor and vulnerable in the state.
• Amend Title 34 of the state statute to limit the actions of payday lenders.
• And much, much more.

Join us and help us make Dr. King’s Dream a Reality.

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