(Columbia, SC) – USDA Rural Development South Carolina State Director Dr. Saundra Glover today announced that the Department is launching a pilot program to make it easier for people to access loans and grants to repair homes damaged by severe weather and future natural disasters. The homes must be located in eligible rural areas and presidentially declared disaster areas in states selected to participate in the pilot, which includes South Carolina.
“The Biden-Harris Administration and USDA stand ready to deploy every resource at our disposal to help families and individuals recover and recuperate,” Glover said. “We are working hard to find solutions that better accommodate people impacted by natural disasters in rural areas across this state, to help them get the resources they need to rebuild their homes and their lives. The pilot program we are announcing today is a key example of this critical work and will hopefully create a blueprint for helping people in rural communities across the country recover from natural disasters.”
This USDA pilot program signficantly expands eligibility for people seeking Single Family Housing Repair Loans and Grants to repair and rebuild their homes damaged in areas of presidentially declared disasters.
As a part of this pilot, USDA is making a number of changes, including:
- Lowering the minimum age from 62 to 18 for eligible homeowners.
- Refinancing debt and reimbursing repair costs incurred as a result of the natural disaster and prior to the date of the application.
- Financing costs to relocate mobile and manufactured homes.
Funds may be used in all 46 counties that were declared disaster areas since, July 18, 2022 in South Carolina and in areas subject to future natural disasters in the next two years.
Applications must be submitted by via Grants.gov or directly to the Rural Development State Office.
For more information on how to apply, contact RD.SCCO3.SFHDirect@usda.gov or visit www.rd.usda/sc.
Additional information is also available on page 45809 of the July 18 Federal Register. For more resources to support rural communities seeking disaster assistance, visit https://www.rd.usda.gov/page/
