COLUMBIA, S.C. — A federally funded mortgage assistance program is winding down after helping more than 19,000 South Carolinians stay in their home.
The state still has $17 million left to distribute.
“Since it was a temporary COVID-based emergency program it will be ending once those funds are expended," said SC Housing Marketing and Public Information Director Matt McColl.
McColl said the agency has provided nearly $90 million in mortgage and utility assistance across the state. Applications were set to close on April 20, but the agency is extending the deadline.
“We wanna make sure that we are keeping the door open for struggling homeowners to get the assistance that they need," said McColl.
The Agency is also allowing existing assistance recipients to apply for a second set of payments six months after they've received their initial payments. The current waiting period is one year.
A separate program called the SC Stay Plus Program stopped taking applications in March.
It provided about 90,0000 South Carolinians $331 million in rent and utility assistance.
Akira Johnson is one of them.
Until January, Johnson was relying on the SC Stay Plus program to pay her rent and keep her children with a roof over their head.
"I am current and I thank god for that," said Johnson.
She said she' finally finding her footing, nearly three years after the pandemic forced her to close her lash extension business.
“We are great. Business is good. We’ve been open consistently since 2021. That’s been huge," said Johnson.
Johnson said she gets messages every day from people asking her how she
"I think there are a lot of people who still need help and I think there are so many people who never got to take advantage of the program," she said.
SC Housing is accepting waitlist applications for SC Stay Plus. If funding is available, SC Housing will notify those on a first-come, first-served basis.
The SC Homeowner Rescue Program began in April 2022. The requirements are below:
- You are a S.C. resident who owns and occupies an eligible property.
- An Eligible property is located in South Carolina and is your occupied, primary residence.
- An Eligible property is also one to four units--specifically, a single-family home (attached or detached), a condominium, or a manufactured/ homes mobile home.
- You have experienced a financial hardship associated with COVID 19 after January 21, 2020. This hardship may have started before, but continued after 1/21/20.
- Your household income is equal to or less than 150% of your area median income (AMI) or 100% of the AMI of the United States ($90,000), whichever is greater.
- You have not received the same assistance from another federal, state, local, nonprofit, or tribal source
- Any expenses for which you're seeking assistance must be past due.