ByLive 5 Web Staff|February 18, 2021 at 5:44 PM EST - Updated February 19 at 11:07 AM
COLUMBIA, S.C. (WCSC) - SC Housing announced a rental and mortgage assistance program to assist South Carolina residents whose finances have been affected by COVID-19.
SC Stay is a $25 million program that would give qualified renters and homeowners up to $7,500 for six consecutive months in order to pay for back rent or future rent payments, according to SC Housing.
SC Housing says the assistance is available on a first-come, first-served basis until the program funding is gone.
“Our hope is that this assistance will help more people remain in their homes during this critical time,” Executive Director of SC Housing Bonita Shropshire said.
SC Housing says in order to qualify for the program, residents must first complete the initial application by going toscstay.orgor call 833-985-2929. They also say that renters and homeowners must:
- Certify they are eligible and that their income is at or below 80% of the county median income adjusted by family size.
- Demonstrate that they are unable to pay for all or part of their rent or mortgage, or they are behind on their rent or mortgage because of COVID-19.
- Have landlord or lender confirmation of their past-due status and be willing to accept the payments on their behalf.
“Affordable, safe and decent housing is a basic human need – and never has that been made more clear than during this COVID-19 pandemic,” Shropshire said. “We know that tens of thousands of South Carolinians have and continue to be impacted by this health and financial crisis.”
Funding for SC Stay is being provided by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Block Grant program and is part of the CARES Act.
More information on the program, including detailed requirements, can be found on their website atwww.schousing.com.
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