Charleston Housing Authority questioned over home sales

Although lawmakers in Charleston County, South Carolina, have been raising serious concerns regarding the home sales by the Housing and Redevelopment Authority, the project continues to move forward.

Recently, 30 single-family homes were put up for sale by the County’s Housing Authority in order to generate funds for other projects and constructions, including making some significant improvements to the Joseph Floyd Manor, a public housing complex for low-income seniors and disabled citizens on the Charleston Peninsula.

Officials stated that the building needs a new roof, a sump pump replacement, repairs to the basement pipes, among other essential maintenance tasks for its proper functioning.

They also declared that the primary goal of these sales is to use most of that money to renovate and repair the Joseph Floyd Manor complex and ensure its continued upkeep and operation. With the remaining funds, they would invest in the development of new housing complexes.

Housing Authority Executive Director Angela Childers reported that the homes intended to raise money for the project are in poor condition, abandoned, or the result of foreclosure processes. All of them are valued at approximately $7.75 million. Each has received offers, but none have been finalized yet.

This is not the first time the Charleston Housing Authority has sold single-family affordable homes to raise additional funds. In previous years, they sold some homes with 90-year deed restrictions to maintain affordability. However, this time, there are no restrictions for buyers, a concern that led several state lawmakers to call for an investigation into the plan and its development.

Childers emphasized the importance of having investors willing to do something like this to remove the properties from the country’s abundant home listings and generate income from them. She also stated that the Housing Authority considered placing a deed restriction on the 30 properties for sale but ultimately decided against it. This decision was made because doing so could limit the amount of money that would be received from the home sales.

On the other hand, opposing lawmakers argue that the 30 homes could be preserved to maintain an affordable housing inventory while still benefiting from investments in the Joseph Floyd Manor complex. Another major question raised by the situation is why the 30 properties have remained vacant and deteriorated over the past few years, given that more than 590 people are on the agency’s waiting list for housing.

In response to this question, the representative explained that “those homes were vacant at the time because the county housing authority didn’t have funds to repair them, and being unoccupied for so long made it very difficult to bring them to a condition where they could be rented affordably.”

Nevertheless, the proposed home sales in Charleston raise doubts among lawmakers about whether the authority is committed to its mission of providing quality affordable housing and helping to improve economic opportunities for low-income citizens, and whether the move is merely a short-term financial fix at the expense of long-term needs.

Available foreclosures:

Charleston – 15 homes available.

Berkeley – 10 homes available.

By Elias DaSilva | September 23, 2024.