Lexington County Council seeks to assist more homeowners with amended disaster recovery plan
August 31, 2018
Lexington County Council voted Tuesday to seek approval from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to amend the County’s disaster recovery action plan, which would allow the County to assist more people interested in home buyouts and set a deadline for new applications.
The plan, which must be approved by HUD before it moves forward, would:
- Request a reduction in the percentage of funds mandated by HUD to be spent in low- to moderate-income areas from 70 percent to 50 percent, so that the County can assist more homeowners interested in home buyouts.
- Request to reallocate approximately $2.2 million from the home rehabilitation program to supplement the home buyout program, which would allow the County to assist more applicants interested in home buyouts.
- Request to establish a Sept. 28, 2018 deadline for new applications for both home buyout and rehabilitation programs. After the September deadline, the County’s Department of Community Development would no longer accept new applications.
The amended action plan will be sent to the HUD for final approval following a 15-day public comment period.
Following the October 2015 flood event, the federal government allocated $21.3 million for reimbursement of eligible disaster recovery expenditures. So far, the County has spent a total of $4.9 million on home buyouts and rehabilitations. The County has received 88 applications for home buyouts, many of which are not considered LMI under HUD’s current requirements, and has completed the purchase of 37 homes.
Homeowners interested in viewing the County’s action plan and commenting on it can request a copy of the plan by emailing [email protected], or by calling (803) 785-8121. Those that do not have access to the internet can view the plan at the Irmo Branch Library, or at the County Administration Building in Lexington.
