COLUMBIA, S.C. — On Monday, the City of Columbia announced more affordable housing.
The city cut the ribbon for a new housing subdivision that's based off income.
"I was staying in my car," said Tony, who now lives at Edisto Place. "Staying in my car, staying at friends houses that would open up to me and what have you."
Tony said he was homeless for four months, and the new neighborhood allowed him to call a place 'home'.
"It means that it’s a blessing that I’m not homeless and having this year and being able to afford it, it’s making me comfortable, living my life," Tony told News 19. "I'm blessed. There’s only one word that I can think of and it’s I’m blessed and you know–I’m here."
The new affordable housing subdivision is located on Wiley St. and South Edisto Avenue in Columbia. The project costed around $5M to complete.
Columbia City Councilman, Will Brennan told News 19, the project was a partnership between the city and Greenville based nonprofit, Homes for Hope.
"This is a stepping stone, hopefully for these families- they save for home ownership," Councilman Brenna said. "So the commitment for Homes for Hope as property managers that care and that are compassionate, I think it’s something we need more and more in our city."
All together, the subdivision includes 29 unites such as townhomes and single family homes. Columbia Community Development Director, Gloria Saeed said the goal is to be more equitable.
"We know that we have a huge deficit when it comes to the availability of affordable housing whether it's for rental or homeownership, so that's why it's critically important that we continue, in the City of Columbia, that we support these types of projects," Saeed said. "Making sure that we attract and keep all residents in the City of Columbia, we need to make sure that we have enough affordable housing for all the people that live in Columbia."
She explained rent is based off annual income, starting at around 40 thousand dollars or less for a single person. More people in each household will increase the income requirement.
To find out more and if you can qualify you can call Homes for Hope at (864) 269- 4663 or go to their website here.