Two State Agencies Join Forces to Boost Affordable Housing for Saluda Teachers
March 23, 2009
COLUMBIA, SC – March 20, 2009 – South Carolina’s Department of Commerce and Department of Education are partners in a pilot program to make more affordable housing available for teachers.
Their first project is providing a $148,500 Community Development Block Grant to help renovate a downtown Saluda building into apartments with environmentally-friendly “green” features including energy efficient lighting and appliances. The building’s owner is investing over $150,000 in improvements as well. The project was announced this afternoon at ceremonies in Saluda attended by state and local officials
“This grant will make it easier for Saluda County teachers to find rental housing near the schools where they teach,” said Secretary of Commerce Joe Taylor. “It will go a long way towards helping the school district attract and retain teachers.”
School officials said the district hires about 30 new teachers each year, most of them coming from outside the county. The district says these teachers usually cannot find housing in Saluda, but the new apartment project is key to meeting that need. Four of the county’s five schools are located within a mile of the boundaries for the Town of Saluda.
State Superintendent of Education Jim Rex agrees that helping teachers secure a home in the community and within close proximity to schools ensures a quality teaching force.
“This project is a great example of how we can invest in our teachers as they continue to invest in our children,” Rex said. “We welcome the Department of Commerce’s assistance in providing an additional incentive for young people to enter the teaching profession and work where they are needed most.”
Rex noted that the Education Department partnered with the South Carolina State Housing Authority last year to offer low-interest loans and down payment assistance for teachers trying to purchase their first homes. That $20 million initiative – the 2008 Palmetto Hero Program – proved highly popular and made loans to 170 teachers in just two months.
The Community Development Block Grant announced today is the first workforce housing project funded in a pilot program to bring more teachers into areas that have the greatest difficulty attracting and retaining qualified educators. Communities receiving block grants are required to provide at least 10 percent matching funds. Grant funds are allocated annually by the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development and administered by the state’s Department of Commerce.
