VOLUME 13 NUMBER 18 ■ COLUMBIABUSINESSREPORT.COM
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DECEMBER 7-20, 2020 ■ $2.25
Repair program keeps residents safe at home
Online resource Digital skills program launches in S.C. Page 2
Business merger Pair of law firms combine in West Columbia home. Page 6
Multimodal hub Speculative park being developed near CAE. Page 7
Falling numbers
S.C. tourism numbers down $5.2 billion since February. Page 11
INSIDE
Upfront................................. 2 SC Biz News Briefs................. 3 In Focus: Architecture, Engineering and Construction .......................................... 13 List: Engineering Firms....... 14 At Work............................... 21 Viewpoint............................23
The SC Housing Trust Fund’s emergency home repair program covers up to $10,000 in essential reapairs necessary for the safety of the homeowner. Leaking roofs are a frequently seen issue. (Photo/File)
By Melinda Waldrop
E
mwaldrop@scbiznews.com
very so often, Ed Causebrook gets a phone call that always makes him smile. The caller is an elderly lady, living alone, who received emergency home repairs several years ago through a partnership between Causebrook’s organization, the Housing Development Corp. of Rock Hill, and the South Carolina State Housing Finance and Development Authority’s Housing Trust Fund. The woman received a new heating system, roof, and flooring, along with a few seasonal extras. “Being near Thanksgiving, we were able to
get her a turkey and food,” said Causebrook, the Rock Hill group’s housing rehabilitation coordinator. “And she still calls me, every once in a while, just to see how I’m doing. That’s what’s rewarding.” Causebrook’s caller is one of hundreds of people helped each year by a pair of SC Housing Trust Fund programs which reimburse eligible grantees for essential repairs on homes owned by those meeting income requirements. The two program categories, emergency repair and owner-occupied repair, made up more than half of a total of $6.8 million HTF awards for fiscal year 2020 in the state. The COVID-19 pandemic forced the suspension of the owner-occupied program, an extensive initiative which covers up to
Architecture honors
Columbia firms win various state, regional design awards. Page 17
$25,000 in home repairs and requires a greater in-home presence by contractors. The emergency repair grant program, which covers up to $10,000 in essential repairs necessary for the life or safety of the occupant, is still operating and in need, officials say, of more nonprofit participants as the pandemic drains organizations’ staff and resources. “The pandemic has definitely put a dent in the number of nonprofits that are participating in the program,” Jennifer Cogan, director of community development for SC Housing, said. “We have 40 or 41 that are approved to participate, and what we’re seeing is only about half of those right now are actively submitting (repair) applications.” See HOUSING, Page 20