Affordable Housing In Dorchester County
South Carolina
8 Low Income Apartment Communities In Dorchester County
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Housing Authorities that serve Dorchester County
| Housing Authority | Programs |
|---|---|
| South Carolina State Housing Finance and Development Authority | Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV); Homeownership Voucher |
Guide To Affordable Housing in Dorchester County, South Carolina
There are 8 low income housing apartment communities offering 260 affordable apartments for rent in Dorchester County, South Carolina. Dorchester County features 116 low income apartments with rental assistance where households typically pay no more than 30% of their income towards rent. Additionally, there are 144 other low income apartments that don't provide direct rental assistance but remain affordable to low income households in Dorchester County.
Sourced from federal housing data and AffordableHousingOnline.com research.
Dorchester County, SC Affordable Housing Snapshot
| Total Affordable Apartment Properties | 8 |
|---|---|
| Total Low Income Apartments | 260 |
| Total Housing Units with Rental Assistance | 116 |
| Percentage of Housing Units Occupied By Renters | 30.55% |
| Average Renter Household Size | 2.69 |
| Average Household Size | 2.77 |
| Median Household Income | $54,901 ±$1,488 |
| Median Rent | $947 ±$26 |
| Percentage Of Renters Overburdened | 46.87% ± 3.58pp |
| Total Population | 145,715 |
Population and Household Demographics
Dorchester County is a County in South Carolina with a population of 145,715. There are 51,856 households in the county with an average household size of 2.77 persons. 30.55% of households in Dorchester County are renters.
Income and Rent Overburden in Dorchester County
The median gross income for households in Dorchester County is $54,901 a year, or $4,575 a month. The median rent for the county is $947 a month.
Households who pay more than thirty percent of their gross income are considered to be Rent Overburdened. In Dorchester County, a household making less than $3,157 a month would be considered overburdened when renting an apartment at or above the median rent. 46.87% of households who rent are overburdened in Dorchester County.1
Area Median Income In Dorchester County
Affordable housing program eligibility is always determined by one's income. Each household's income is compared to the incomes of all other households in the area. This is accomplished through a statistic established by the government called the Area Median Income, most often referred to as AMI. The AMI is calculated and published each year by HUD.
In Dorchester County, HUD calculates the Area Median Income for a family of four as $77,900
Most affordable housing programs determine eligibility based on the percent of AMI a given household's income is. Among the programs that determine eligibility based on the AMI are Section 8, HOME, LIHTC, Section 515, 202 and 811.
Rental Assistance in Dorchester County
Rental assistance is a type of housing subsidy that pays for a portion of a renter’s monthly housing costs, including rent and tenant paid utilities. This housing assistance can come in the form of Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers, project-based Section 8 contracts, public housing, USDA Rental Assistance (in Section 515 properties) as well as HUD Section 202 and 811 properties for elderly and disabled households.
Income Qualifications for Dorchester County HUD Rental Assistance in Dorchester County
| Income | 1 Person | 2 Person | 3 Person | 4 Person | 5 Person | 6 Person | 7 Person | 8 Person |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30% of Median | $16,350 | $18,700 | $21,330 | $25,750 | $30,170 | $34,590 | $39,010 | $43,430 |
| 50% of Median | $27,300 | $31,200 | $35,100 | $38,950 | $42,100 | $45,200 | $48,300 | $51,450 |
| 80% of Median | $43,650 | $49,850 | $56,100 | $62,300 | $67,300 | $72,300 | $77,300 | $82,250 |
Low Income Housing Tax Credits in Dorchester County
The Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program aims to create affordable rental housing for low and very low income families.
From 1987 to 1987, 1 low income apartment communities containing 16 rental apartments have been constructed and made affordable to low income persons in Dorchester County by the Low Income Housing Tax Credit Program.
If your income is less than 60% of the Area Median Income (AMI), you should not expect to pay more than the rent value for a unit in the table below. However, Affordable apartment communities that receive funding through the Low Income Housing Tax Credit program may have rental units that are not subject to income and rent limits.
Rent limits for the LIHTC Program are determined so that a household making the maximum income for the expected household size of the unit would only pay 30% of their income for rent.
Income Qualifications for Low Income Housing Tax Credit Apartments in Dorchester County
| Income | 1 Person | 2 Person | 3 Person | 4 Person | 5 Person | 6 Person | 7 Person | 8 Person |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50% of Median | $27,300 | $31,200 | $35,100 | $38,950 | $42,100 | $45,200 | $48,300 | $51,450 |
| 60% of Median | $32,760 | $37,440 | $42,120 | $46,740 | $50,520 | $54,240 | $57,960 | $61,740 |
For example, the expected household size for a two bedroom apartment is 3 people. Using the table above, the maximum income for a 3 person household at 60% of the AMI in Dorchester County is $42,120 a year, or $3,510 a month. To determine the maximum rent in the table below we multiply the monthly maximum income, $3,510 by 30% to get a maximum rent of $1,053 a month.
Rent for units in the LIHTC Program include a utility allowance which is determined by the average monthly cost of utilities paid directly by residents. This allowance has not been subtracted from the rents in the table below. These utility allowances are set on a property by property basis.
| % of AMI | Studio | 1 Bed | 2 Bed | 3 Bed | 4 Bed | 5 Bed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50% | $683 | $731 | $878 | $1,013 | $1,130 | $1,247 |
| 60% | $819 | $878 | $1,053 | $1,216 | $1,356 | $1,496 |
Fair Market Rents in Dorchester County
Fair Market Rents, often abbreviated as FMR, can be used to better understand the average housing costs of an area. Notably, Fair Market Rents are used to establish the payment standards for the Housing Choice Voucher Program, maximum rents in HOME financed rental projects and initial rents for Section 8 project based assistance.
2020 Fair Market Rents
| Studio | One BR | Two BR | Three BR | Four BR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $907 | $1,035 | $1,179 | $1,535 | $2,012 |
Cities In Dorchester County
Select A City to View its Apartment Communities and Waiting Lists.
| City | Listings | Served By |
|---|---|---|
| Harleyville | 2 | The HUD funded Public Housing Agency that serves Harleyville is the South Carolina State Housing Finance and Development Authority. |
| St George | 6 | The HUD funded Public Housing Agency that serves St George is the South Carolina State Housing Finance and Development Authority. |
| St. George | 0 | The HUD funded Public Housing Agency that serves St. George is the South Carolina State Housing Finance and Development Authority. |
| Reevesville | 0 | The HUD funded Public Housing Agency that serves Reevesville is the South Carolina State Housing Finance and Development Authority. |
| Ridgeville | 0 | The HUD funded Public Housing Agency that serves Ridgeville is the South Carolina State Housing Finance and Development Authority. |
| North Charleston | 24 | The HUD funded Public Housing Agencies that serve North Charleston are the Charleston County Housing and Redevelopment Authority, North Charleston Housing Authority and South Carolina Regional Housing Authority No. 3. |
