South Carolinians May Be Eligible for Transitional Sheltering Assistance

South Carolinians who have been displaced from their homes by Hurricane Helene may be eligible for Transitional Sheltering Assistance (TSA) from FEMA. Individuals and households who have applied for disaster assistance may be eligible to stay temporarily in a hotel or motel paid for by FEMA while they work on their long-term housing plan.

Residents in Abbeville, Aiken, Allendale, Anderson, Bamberg, Barnwell, Cherokee, Chester, Edgefield, Fairfield, Greenville, Greenwood, Hampton, Jasper, Kershaw, Laurens, Lexington, McCormick, Newberry, Oconee, Orangeburg, Pickens, Richland, Saluda, Spartanburg, Union and York counties and the Catawba Indian Nation may be eligible, if they cannot return to their disaster-damaged home and their housing needs are not met by insurance, shelters or rental assistance provided by FEMA or another agency.

People do not need to request this assistance. FEMA will notify them of their eligibility through an automated phone call, text message, and/or email, depending on the method of communication they selected when applying for assistance.

Eligible survivors may stay in participating TSA hotels in Georgia, Alabama, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. To locate participating hotels, visit femaemergencyhotels.com/ and enter your FEMA registration number, obtained when you applied for FEMA assistance.

Under the TSA program, FEMA pays the cost of room, taxes and non-refundable pet fees directly to participating hotels and motels. Pet fees will only be paid up to the approved limit of assistance for individual rooms. Survivors are responsible for all other costs, including laundry, restaurant/room service, parking, telephone, or movie rental.

An initial eligibility review will be conducted 60 days after the check-in date. When eligibility ends, survivors will be notified by FEMA seven days prior to the checkout date.

TSA participants may also be eligible for other federal financial help, including Displacement Assistance, Rental Assistance, Home Repair Assistance and other aspects of the Individual Assistance program.

To apply for assistance, homeowners and renters can apply online at DisasterAssistance.gov. To get in-person assistance, you can visit any Disaster Recovery Center. To find a center close to you, please go to fema.gov/drc or text “DRC” and a Zip Code to 43362.

You can also apply using the FEMA App for mobile devices or by calling toll-free 800-621-3362. The telephone line is open every day. Help is available in many languages. If you use a relay service, such as Video Relay Service (VRS), captioned telephone or other service, give FEMA your number for that service.

For a video with American Sign Language, voiceover and open captions about how to apply for FEMA assistance, select this link.

FEMA programs are accessible to survivors with disabilities and others with access and functional needs.