Guidelines to Receive Subsidized Housing in South Carolina

Subsidized housing refers to rental housing for which the rent a tenant pays is considerably lower than market rate because of, in most cases, some type of government intervention. In South Carolina, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) provides the majority of subsidized housing through public housing agencies (PHAs) from across the state. While the general guidelines are the same nationwide, specific income limits vary by region.

Programs

PHAs across South Carolina administer HUD's public housing and Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher programs. Public housing ranges from large apartment complexes to scattered site single-family homes with rents set a rates affordable to low-income families, according to HUD's public housing program website. Section 8 uses a different type of subsidy. Low-income families seek housing in the private rental market using a government-backed voucher that represents the difference between the fair market rent of a unit and between 30 percent to 40 percent of a Section 8 household's income.

Purpose

As the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) indicates, the nationally accepted standard states that housing is affordable if it does not take up more than 30 percent of a family's household income. HUD's subsidized housing programs strive to provide affordable rents, based on this threshold, to an area's neediest families. In South Carolina, the 2010 market rate rent for a two-bedroom apartment is $701. To afford this rent, a minimum wage worker in the state needs to work 74 hours each week.

Eligibility

To be eligible for Section 8 housing, a family cannot make more than 50 percent of their area's median income. For the public housing program, HUD sets the cap at 80 percent. While the percentiles are the same nationwide, as per HUD's annually set income limits, local differences exist. For instance, based on 2010 data, a family of four in the Columbia, South Carolina, metropolitan area earning $31,200 is at 50 percent of median income. In less affluent Darlington County, however, that number decreases to $24,550.

Size

HUD's programs satisfy a sizable chunk of South Carolina's affordable housing stock. In Columbia, for example, the housing authority notes that, as of October 2010, it provides more than 1,800 units of public housing to the city's residents. The Housing Authority of the city of Greenville operates approximately 600 units of public housing. The Columbia Housing Authority delivers about 3,100 vouchers to low-income renters in the city.

Considerations

Meeting eligibility guidelines is just half of the battle for families seeking subsidized housing in South Carolina. In many parts of the state, demand for Section 8 vouchers and public housing exceeds supply. For example, Section 8 waiting lists in both Greenville and Columbia are closed, as of October 2010. These lists open and close with relative frequency, often with availability existing only for dwellings of a certain size.

References

• U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development: Housing Choice Vouchers Fact Sheet
• U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development: HUD's Public Housing Program
• U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development: 2010 Income Limits, South Carolina
• The Housing Authority of the City of Greenville: Public Housing
• The Housing Authority of the City of Greenville (HACGSC): Section 8
• Columbia Housing Authority: Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program

Resources

• Columbia Housing Authority: General Information
• National Low Income Housing Coalition: South Carolina