By Danielle Seat and Riley Bean | October 8, 2020 at 5:26 AM EDT - Updated October 8 at 7:18 AM
CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - The City of Charleston says they are applying for a grant to help non-profits provide housing through the pandemic.
Officials say the city is partnering with two local housing non-profits, Humanities Foundation and Palmetto Community Action Partnership, to apply for the TD Bank Housing for Everyone Grant.
City leaders say they are doing this because they are consistently working with people who are being evicted from their homes and the TD Bank Housing for Everyone grant could allow the City of Charleston to assist at least 200 families with rent, utilities, mortgage and more.
The City of Charleston says although they have a legal team working with families who are being evicted or need financial assistance, they are seeing about six of every ten families they work with unable to keep up with their rent.
The City of Charleston says they are partnering with two local housing non-profits, Humanities Foundation and Palmetto Community Action Partnership, to apply for the TD Bank Housing for Everyone Grant.
City officials say TD Bank will award nearly $5 million to 32 local housing non-profit organizations.
The City of Charleston Housing and Community Development Director Geona Shaw Johnson says they need this money now more than ever.
“We’re getting calls literally or directly from clients themselves indicating they have lost their apartments," Shaw says. "And we are also hearing from service providers that a number of people need help to avoid eviction, in some cases they’ve been evicted.”
The maximum grant amount is $250,000 and Johnson says this could help more than 200 families pay rent, utilities, mortgage and other bills.
“It could be one income in the household lost, in some cases more than one income in the household lost," Johnson said. "People are having to adjust their hours because they have children at home now with the hybrid learning environment.”
The City of Charleston says it will get notice whether it received the grant in the beginning of January, and if the city is gets the award, it will distribute the money in February.
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