Boeing grant to Coastal Community Foundation will help homeowners stay in place, developers maintain community

September 6, 2022

A generous gift by the Boeing Corporation to the Coastal Community Foundation is designed to help offset growing housing pressures in the Lowcountry. The $250,000 grant is being augmented by the South Carolina Community Loan Fund, the combination of which will help scores of homeowners through two efforts within the new North Charleston Affordable Housing Initiative.

One traunche will fund local non-profits that provide home repair services to low-income owners. Area housing experts note that one way to alleviate the housing crisis is to keep owners in their homes and communities. Often, lack of resources keeps expensive maintenance and repair projects – like roofs and floors – out of reach. Homes degrade, and owners move out.

The second portion will be used by CCF to help facilitate community listening sessions and charettes focused on the Exit 218 development plans. By convening the community for buy-in, organizers hope to effectively balance the development of new affordable housing while preserving the existing community.

“Preserving communities often starts with stabilizing individual homes,” said Darrin Goss, President and CEO of CCF. “In our regionwide work, we focus on the power of economic mobility to improve lives. Ensuring our neighbors can remain in their homes is a powerful way to strengthen community.”

Home repair funds will be disbursed to non-profits already working in the target communities who apply to CCF. Exit 218 project funds will underwrite a technical advisor to explore best options for the North Charleston neighborhood set for new investment.

 

Coastal Community Foundation of South Carolina is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that works to create communities rich in equity, opportunity and well-being by uniting people and investing resources so that all community members have a pathway to achieve their goals. The largest community foundation in South Carolina, Coastal Community Foundation’s service area includes Beaufort, Berkeley, Charleston, Colleton, Dorchester, Georgetown, Hampton, Horry and Jasper counties. Through our tools for long-term charitable giving, we help individuals, families, businesses and organizations be the reason why communities thrive in the nine counties we serve along South Carolina’s coast. To learn more, visit coastalcommunityfoundation.org or call (843) 723-3635.