Homeless No More, a nonprofit organization dedicated to eradicating family homelessness, officially broke ground on its Grand Village project—a $12.8 million investment. What used to be home to the Grand Motel, will soon develop into 30 new affordable homes and a community center. The Grand Village is the organization's newest development under the Live Oak initiative, which provides attainable housing for families with children.
Homeless No More says Grand Village was made possible through a collaboration with several partners, including the South Carolina State Housing Finance and Development Authority, United Way of the Midlands, Richland County, the SC Community Loan Fund, Dominion Energy, First Citizens Bank, and the Central Carolina Community Foundation.
The homes at Grand Village will range from one to three bedrooms, and will be available for rent. "It's what you call income driven," says Lila Anna Sauls, the President and CEO of Homeless No More, "we have X number of units for 30% average market income, which would be the most vulnerable families, 50% average market income, [and] sometimes up to 70% [or] 80%."
According to Sauls, nearly half of South Carolina renters spend more than 30% on their household income. A problem she attributes to the state's lack of affordable housing, "The gap between what working families earn and what they can put into rent has never been wider. When families can't afford stable housing, everything else suffers," she says.
"We know the Midlands is facing a shortage of an estimated 50,000 units of attainable housing, and addressing that need will take all of us," says United Way of the Midlands President and CEO Sara Fawcett. "That's why we're working alongside partners like Homeless No More and investing in our community's ability to develop new, innovative housing solutions."
State Senator Tameika Isaac Devine addressed South Carolina's rapidly growing population, "What happens when we grow at the rate that we're growing, we also sometimes leave behind those that contribute to the economy of this state," she says, before continuing, "Our community is as strong as all of our families. And if we don't have quality affordable housing for people to be able to live in the communities in which they work, then our community will not be strong."
Devine, who represents Richland District 19, says legislators are working on affordable housing conversations. "We're looking at [doing] some kind of special committee that will look at affordable housing throughout the state and what the needs are and what we can do in policy," she says. In addition to that, Devine says examining things such as inclusionary zoning, better regulations to build, and encouraging zoning density.
The development will include the James E. Christopher Community Center. The center will serve the Grand Village renters and the local community by providing communal spaces, after-school programs for children, and mentoring programs.
"The symbolism in the community center, in general, is this idea that everything we do now includes something for the greater neighborhood. So, it's not just about building housing," says Sauls, "It's also, what does the neighborhood need or what could they use?"
Belvedere is one of the local neighborhoods near Grand Village. Belvedere's Community Organization President, Diane Wiley, was at the ceremony in support of the Grand Village project. "I feel good about it," says Wiley, "We [need] our community center because, right now, we're meeting at the water treatment place. So, if that closed, where are we going to go?"
Looking forward, Homeless No More has two other projects in the works: Edgewood Village, a family shelter campus, and Andrew's Village, a transition shelter. But, Sauls says what these projects all required were significant investments and resources.
"Right now, it's $200 a square foot to build anything. And as a nonprofit developer, we don't make any money doing it. This is mission based," said Sauls. "We've got to come to the table with something. Incentives, tax credits, anything that would allow more people to do this."
The Grand Village is estimated to be open in a year's time.
