Archive for February 2023

ANDERSON COUNTY AND AIM JOIN FORCES TO PROMOTE OWNER-OCCUPIED HOUSING REPAIR

FOR REPAIR ASSISTANCE, CONTACT:

Justin Sullivan

AIM Director of Housing

(864) 965-9041

justin.sullivan@aimcharity.org

Anderson County, SC (February 24, 2023) – The Anderson County Council and AIM, an Anderson-based nonprofit human services organization, are joining forces in an effort to assist qualified homeowners with needed housing repairs.

“Today’s announcement furthers our mission to promote neighborhood stabilization,” said Anderson County Council Chair Tommy Dunn. “Many of our hard-working citizens and retirees run into situations where they don’t have the means to fix little problems before they become big problems. Eventually, the home becomes uninhabitable. They end up losing their equity and often become homeless. We can’t have it.”

The county’s building and codes department currently has over 250 records of substandard housing units in its database. Many of these cases stem from a homeowner not having the means to make necessary repairs to their roofs, plumbing, and key structural components.

“We have been offering this type of assistance to the community for years, but the partnership with Anderson County will allow us to greatly expand our capacity to serve,” said AIM Executive Director Kristi-King Brock. “The county’s participation will allow us to leverage other available resources and get help to those who need it when they need it.”

The partnership is funded through the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development’s HOME program. Anderson County is a member of the local HOME Consortium and will provide these federal funds to AIM under the auspices of a subrecipient agreement.

The program is available only for owner-occupied housing units, and homeowners must meet income qualifications. Homeowners needing assistance may reach out to Justin Sullivan, AIM Director of Housing, at (864) 965-9041 or email justin.sullivan@aimcharity.org.

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For Media Inquiries:

Steve Newton, Anderson County Administrator’s Office

(864) 260-1010 | snewton@andersoncountysc.org

FOR REPAIR ASSISTANCE, CONTACT REBUILD UPSTATE:

(864) 643-5711 | info@rebuildupstate.org | www.rebuildupstate.org

Anderson County, SC (February 22, 2023) – The Anderson County Council has entered into a partnership with Rebuild Upstate, a nonprofit organization serving Upstate South Carolina, to assist with repairs to qualified owner-occupied housing units in our community.

“This initiative is part of our comprehensive effort to promote neighborhood stabilization” said Anderson County Council Chair Tommy Dunn. “Through this program, we will be able to help lower income homeowners keep their houses safe, secure, and inhabitable. We’ll also be able to prevent deterioration of the housing stock in areas vulnerable to blight and neglect, which prevents the need for us to go in and tear down dilapidated structures at taxpayer expense.”

The county’s building and codes department currently has over 250 records of substandard housing units in its database. Many of these cases stem from a homeowner having the means to make necessary repairs to their roofs, plumbing, and key structural components.”

“We see so many times these situations where a homeowner gets a leak in their roof, and the leak gets worse and worse over time because they just don’t have the money to make repairs” said Rebuild Upstate CEO Jake Beaty. “We’re looking to fix these things before they become unfixable.”

The partnership is funded through the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development’s HOME program.  Anderson County is a member of the local HOME Consortium and will provide these federal funds to Rebuild Upstate under the auspices of a subrecipient agreement.

The program is available only for owner-occupied housing units, and homeowners must meet income qualifications.  An assistance application is available online at www.rebuildupstate.org. Homeowners may also call Rebuild Upstate’s Helpline at (864) 643-5711 or contact by email to info@rebuildupstate.org

About Rebuild Upstate:

Rebuild Upstate serves low-income homeowners with repairs and accessibility improvements to create safe, livable housing in existing homes and neighborhoods in Greenville, Anderson, Pickens, and Oconee counties. Its team envisions a community where everyone has the opportunity to live a life of dignity in a safe home environment in order to maintain and foster strong, sustainable communities. Learn more at www.rebuildupstate.org.

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MEDIA CONTACT:

Steve Newton, Anderson County Administrator’s Office

(864) 260-1010 | snewton@andersoncountysc.org