SC has struggled to distribute rent assistance. Could in-person application sites help?

South Carolinains who have fallen behind on rent can now apply for federal assistance in-person at local libraries and other community centers, SC Housing, the agency in charge of distributing the funds, announced on Monday. Previously, tenants could only apply online or over the phone.

“By partnering with these established community organizations, we have the ability to meet our state’s residents where they are and provide additional support and assistance to help them stay safely in their homes,” said Bonita Shropshire, executive director of SC Housing.

Though applications opened in May, the program got off to a slow start. By August, only $17.2 million of the available $271 million had been paid out. Chris Winston, spokesperson for SC Housing, said by relaxing some of the application guidelines, the agency has increased that number up to about $30 million.

“With these new centers, we are expecting to get even more applications approved,” he said.

Workers from the S.C. Association of Community Action Partnerships, the S.C. State Conference of the NAACP and several county library systems will help tenants who visit these local centers determine if they are eligible, answer their questions about the program and assist them in uploading the necessary documents.

To qualify for help, renters must:

• Have experienced financial hardship due to COVID-19

• Demonstrate a risk of experiencing homelessness or housing instability

• Make less than 80% of the area median income

• Live outside of Anderson, Berkeley, Charleston, Greenville, Horry, Richland and Spartanburg counties. Those counties have their own rent assistance programs.

Those who qualify can receive up to 12 months of financial support for back rent and past-due utilities. Even tenants who have already been evicted can still receive funds to help pay for other housing related expenses including late fees, court fees or security deposits at a new apartment.

There are 31 in-person application sites across the state, though some sites will differ slightly week to week. For a full list of locations and hours, visit the SC Housing website.