COLUMBIA, S.C. — Columbia Housing hosted a public hearing on Tuesday to unveil their 2025 Annual Plan, emphasizing the importance of public participation and feedback in the process.
While the South Carolina Housing Authority is obligated to submit the plan to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), they encouraged community involvement in shaping the direction of the plan.
"Number one is to continue our development and expand our development," stated Barry Hall, Chief Operating Officer of Columbia Housing.
Columbia Housing's 2025 plan aims to implement repositioning strategies across the Midlands region through the year 2030.
"Vision 2030 is the strategic framework through which Columbia Housing will reposition our real estate portfolio and create new affordable housing through the creation of public/private partnerships utilizing private capital," explained Robin Hudson, Development Compliance Manager at Columbia Housing, during the public hearing.
In 2021, Columbia Housing launched Vision 2030, a multi-year $500 million development plan aimed at redeveloping, renovating, and repositioning all public housing units in their portfolio.
"Our goal is to make sure we are sharing the opportunities we have through Columbia Housing and also getting the word out to the public in general about what we are doing, what we are offering, and what we are proposing," Hall elaborated.
While Columbia Housing is mandated to submit their plan to HUD, they are not obligated to share it with the public. However, they say they believe transparency is crucial.
"Columbia Housing has grown from once being a public housing authority. We have grown and expanded, but we still have a commitment to public housing. We receive federal funds, and because we do, we want to make sure we are as transparent as possible as to how we are using those funds," said Hall.
Looking ahead to their portfolio goal by the 2030 calendar year, Hall emphasized their commitment to continue developing to meet the needs of citizens in the Midlands, contingent upon financial resources.
"A lot of that comes down to finances. So we need to form partnerships and receive governmental help to be able to execute these plans," Hall concluded.