Rural Housing and Economic Development 1999 Grants

PROJECT SUMMARY: SOUTH CAROLINA

Technical College of the Lowcountry Foundation, Inc., in Beaufort, SC, will receive a Rural Housing and Economic Development Grant in the amount of $193,000. The applicant intends to utilize the funds to build the organizational capacity of the newly formed Lowcountry Regional Community Partnership, Inc. (LRCPI) to support economic development in the rural areas of the Lowcountry Regional Champion Community. This will be accomplished through the provision of training for LRCPI's Board of Directors in the areas of management, staffing, housing and economic development. Grant funds will also be used to conduct an asset inventory of the region and to input the data collected into a GIS mapping system. The program will serve portions of Beaufort, Bamberg, and Hampton Counties in South Carolina. In-kind leveraging resources supporting this program total $54,350.

Contact Person: Martha K. Sette
Grantee Address: P.O. Box 2614, Beaufort, SC 29901
Phone Number: (843) 525-8225

Catawba Indian Nation, in Catawba, SC, will receive a Rural Housing and Economic Development Grant in the amount of $600,000. The applicant requested $650,000 to construct 20 single-family homes for low-income families to form a residential village on the Catawba reservation. In order to achieve the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's "Energy Star" rating, various sustainable development techniques will be used in the development. This includes an increase in building density, smaller street rights-of-way, the designation of tree and natural area protection, wildlife habitat and wetlands preservation, encouragement of pedestrian circulation, maintenance of current hydrological systems and the establishment of greenway buffers along the Catawba River and its tributaries. This program will serve residents of the Green Earth section of the Catawba reservation, which is located on land both in South Carolina and various counties in North Carolina. Additional funds from local and federal sources total $1,970,000 in support of this program. Key participants include: ISWA Development Corporation, the U.S. Indian Health Service, Southface Energy Institute, the York County Council, and the South Carolina Energy Office.

Contact Person: Wanda George Warren
Grantee Address: P.O. Box 188, Catawba, SC 29704
Phone Number: 803-366-4792

Catawba Indian Nation will also receive a Rural Housing and Economic Development Grant in the amount of $250,000 to create a residential construction company that will specialize in the development of affordable housing opportunities for low- to moderate-income families. The tribe intends to construct 10 new homes for 10 qualified low-income families. With this program, the tribe plans to initially create 8 new jobs, with an estimated long-term creation of 20 jobs. The tribe will provide the necessary training to assist low-income persons in obtaining trade skills in such areas as carpentry, plumbing, electrical wiring, roofing, landscaping, masonry, and business administration. Partnering with the tribe is the National Bank of York County. While the tribe will be responsible for overseeing and managing the company and project, the Bank will provide construction loans to build the proposed housing and will provide long-term mortgages to qualified buyers. The Catawba Indian Nation will provide in-kind services in the amount of $35,000. The National Bank of York County will provide construction and long-term mortgage loans at an estimated value of $750,000. The seed support grant awarded by HUD will fund the Catawba Indian Nation's business start-up costs.

Contact Person: Wanda George-Warren
Grantee Address: PO Box 188, Catawba, SC 29704
Phone Number: (803) 366-4792

Content Archived: January 20, 2009