Following their confirmation last month in the S.C. Senate, four new board members have joined the nine-member Board of Commissioners of the South Carolina State Housing Finance and Development Authority (SC Housing).

C. Todd Latiff of Clemson is the newly appointed chairman of the Board of Commissioners. He serves as the executive vice president and chief banking officer at Oconee Federal Savings and Loan Association. A graduate of Presbyterian College, Mr. Latiff has more than 20 years of banking experience, working for a number of small, medium and large financial institutions serving customers from the coast to the Upstate of South Carolina.

Also joining the board are three additional commissioners who also bring extensive knowledge of and expertise in the affordable housing landscape in South Carolina. They are:

James G. Fleshman II of Columbia, who is the president and founder of Foundation Mortgage Corporation and the director of the S.C. Mortgage Brokers Association. At Foundation Mortgage, Mr. Fleshman is a member of the Central Carolina Realtors Association, the Rotary Club of Columbia, and the Mortgage Professionals of South Carolina / Greater Columbia, and a board member for Daybreak Ministries. The Citadel graduate has spent over 30 years in the mortgage industry and has helped thousands become homeowners.

Karl Haslinger of Lexington, who recently retired as regional president at Stanley Martin Homes. Mr. Haslinger has approximately 30 years of experience with development and construction of homes in South Carolina, including his time serving as the former owner and CEO of Essex Homes Southeast Inc. He is a graduate of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.

Alisa Mosley of Lexington, the executive director of the Affordable Housing Coalition of South Carolina and the founder of Association Solutions, an association and nonprofit management and consulting firm that works with nonprofits on strategic planning, restructuring issues, workplace diversity, team building and communication skills. Ms. Mosley holds a degree from the University of South Carolina and previously served as the executive director of the S.C. Law Enforcement Officers’ Association and spent 18 years in career services at the University of South Carolina.

The new board members join Commissioners Brad Allen, Charles Gardner, David Goodall and Myra Reece.

SC Housing’s Board of Commissioners, comprised of individuals with diverse experience in housing, finance, business and community service, establishes policy for the agency and oversees its operation. Both the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control and the Governor’s Office have statutory seats on the board. Other members are appointed by the Governor, with the advice and consent of the S.C. Senate, to four-year terms.

To fulfill SC Housing’s vision of ensuring all South Carolinians have opportunities to live in safe, decent and affordable housing, the agency recently added a community relations manager for its emergency housing programs.

Ana Garcia engages in outreach activities for SC Housing’s COVID-19 housing assistance programs: namely the SC Stay Plus program and the SC Homeowner Rescue Program. Already in her brief tenure with the agency, Garcia has conducted dozens of virtual informational and training sessions with community members and organizations across the state. And she’s visited many communities – from Lexington to McColl to Vance – to meet with South Carolina residents and help educate and engage them on what assistance may be available to them.

Prior to serving as community relations manager, the bilingual Garcia worked in outreach to underrepresented populations, particularly immigrant communities.

Earlier in her career, Garcia worked as an immigration policy organizer at SC Appleseed Legal Justice Center and as a minority outreach strategist at the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control.

Garcia is a native of South Carolina and holds a bachelors in public health from Agnes Scott College.

If you are interested in inviting Garcia to an event in your community, or having her present about SC Housing’s emergency housing assistance programs, please email Outreach@SCHousing.com.

More than 4,900 South Carolina homeowners have completed applications for a new federally funded emergency assistance program that helps those who have struggled to remain in their homes during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The SC Homeowner Rescue program, launched in late March by SC Housing, can cover many costs associated with owning a home, including:

• Assistance with past-due mortgage payments;
• Financial assistance to allow a homeowner to reinstate a mortgage;
• Past-due utilities, including electric, gas, home energy, and water;
• Down payment assistance loans provided by nonprofit or government entities; and
• Delinquent property taxes to prevent homeowner tax foreclosures.

To qualify for assistance, South Carolina homeowners must meet federal income eligibility requirements, confirm financial hardships occurring after January 21, 2020 associated with the COVID-19 pandemic – even if those challenges started before this date. Applicants must verify their income, provide a valid photo identification, furnish proof of home ownership—such as a deed or property tax bill—and documents verifying the assistance they’ve requested.

To learn more about the program, or apply, visit SCHousing.com or call 803-702-5222. Eligible homeowners, who live in any South Carolina county, can receive up to 36 months in assistance.

“We look forward to helping thousands of struggling families stay safely in their homes as they continue to bounce back from the devastating impact that the pandemic has had on them financially, emotionally, and physically,” said Bonita Shropshire, executive director of SC Housing.

After living in New Jersey his entire life, David Sandler moved to South Carolina two years ago to be closer to his family in Savannah following the death of his wife.

Before moving to the Beaufort area, David did some research into housing in the area. He found Ribaut Senior Village, a 49-unit apartment complex for older adults that received federal tax credits through SC Housing in 2018 and opened in 2020, before it was even finished.

And he moved in the first day the development opened their doors.

“It’s a great building and a great facility -- a great place to live. A lot of nice people live here,” David said.

Today, David lives in the community with his dog, Daisy. He bikes the trails around his home to Sands Beach and Hunting Island. Many of the people in the community are also from out of state, which David says helps to create a “community of like-minded people.”

The tax credit program used to support Ribaut Senior Village is the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit Program (LIHTC), which is designed to provide for-profit and nonprofit developers with an incentive to create and maintain affordable housing. This is the country’s most extensive affordable housing program.

Developments that may qualify for credits include new construction, acquisition with rehabilitation, rehabilitation and adaptive reuse. Owners of and investors in qualifying developments can use the credit as a dollar-for-dollar reduction of federal income tax liability. Allocations of credits are used to leverage public, private and other funds in order to keep rents to tenants affordable.

Learn more about how SC Housing uses the LIHTC program on our website.

With home prices and interest rates on the rise, achieving the goal of homeownership can be a challenge for many South Carolina residents.

With this in mind, in early May SC Housing launched its annual Palmetto Heroes program to help Palmetto State residents who serve their communities achieve that dream with down payment assistance and low-interest home loans.

The program recognizes designated community service members, such as first-responders, teachers, and others, who provide vital support to their community. This year, the 2022 Palmetto Heroes program will assist qualifying South Carolina educators, law enforcement, corrections professionals, firefighters, emergency medical service personnel, licensed medical professionals, members of the U.S. Armed Services S.C. Army National Guard and S.C. Air National Guard, and veterans.

Eligible Palmetto Heroes homebuyers can get a low, fixed-rate mortgage through SC Housing’s First-time Homebuyer Program, as well as $10,000 in forgivable down payment assistance. The program has helped more than 1,800 homeowners purchase homes in excess of $237 million over the past 15 years. “At a time, when our state is experiencing mounting strains on our educators, programs like Palmetto Heroes helps to put homeownership in reach for those dedicated teachers whose paychecks are already stretched.”

“Home ownership is one of the country’s most valuable tools to build wealth, and we are proud to help families attain this goal,” said Steve Clements, director of single-family programs at SC Housing.

The program is available on a first-come, first-served basis, and borrowers must have an executed sales contract on a home. Mortgage loans are for 30 years and are available through any of SC Housing’s network of more than 100 participating lenders statewide. Borrower(s) must meet SC Housing’s first-time homebuyer requirements, as well as income requirements based on location and household size. The program may not be used for refinancing.

SC Housing has provided homeownership funding and financing opportunities to the residents of South Carolina since 1979. During that time, the agency’s programs have helped provide loans exceeding $3.37 billion, helping more than 47,000 families become homeowners.

So it’s no wonder that the annual observance of Homeownership Month is a big deal for SC Housing. And the agency’s board of directors confirmed that on May 18, when it passed a resolution to recognize June 2022 as Homeownership Month.

According to the proclamation passed by the board of commissioners on May 18, 2022, homeownership is critical for the state of South Carolina and its citizens because it:

• Is a foundation of the American Dream and generations of South Carolinians have worked hard and saved so that they might enjoy the security and stability of owning their own home;
• Strengthens families and encourages residents to take pride in their neighborhoods and to take an active role in their communities; and
• Stimulates construction and related industries, creates jobs, and enhances prosperity.

Learn more about how SC Housing’s Homeownership programs on our website.

Interested in a career in affordable housing?

Are you a hard-working and dedicated individual who would like to help
SC Housing accomplish its mission of ensuring all South Carolinians have access to safe, decent and affordable housing?

Learn more about available positions at SC Housing by visiting our job board to learn what opportunities may be right for you.

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