By Spencer Donovan, Post and Courier
More than 1,600 people packed a church to call on Greenville-area elected officials to commit more funding to affordable housing, increasing the pressure to address the housing crisis, especially for the lowest-income earners.
More than 30,000, or about 7 percent of Greenville County households, cannot afford their housing.
That’s why members of Greenville Organized for Accountable Leadership asked officials in 2023 to contribute $20 million in local public funding for affordable housing each year — and now they’re giving them a deadline.
The individuals, who represent a diverse cross section of religions and races, gathered April 15 as a coalition of more than 20 congregations in Greenville County that aim to engage in social justice grounded in faith.
They hope to address two crises — affordable housing and mental health — which persist despite investments with public and private dollars. Housing is generally considered affordable if a household pays no more than 30 percent of their income toward rent or mortgage payments and utilities.
During their second annual Nehemiah Action rally, held at Bethlehem Baptist Church between Simpsonville and Fountain Inn, residents gave testimonies of their struggles with finding affordable places to live, and faith leaders gave impassioned speeches on the need for commitments from local leaders.
GOAL members asked each present representative from the city of Greenville and Greenville County pointed questions.
City Councilwoman Lillian Brock Flemming, the only member of the mayor’s office and City Council present, stood and answered two questions. She answered yes to both.
- Will you promise to allocate $10 million annually to the Greenville Housing Fund by the 2025-2026 budget cycle?
- Will you pass an ordinance requiring one-third of the allocation to support families who make roughly less than $27,000 annually?
The Greenville Housing Fund, a nonprofit, was created around 2017 as the city’s primary vehicle to create and preserve affordable housing.
The city has a $2.5 million line-item allocation each year in its budget to pay back a roughly $30 million loan that GHF secured in 2023 to build affordable housing.
The city identified $8 million of its revenue that would go toward affordable housing, but GOAL members said not all of those revenue sources have been reserved specifically for affordable housing.
Some city officials have referenced potential revenue sources such as the Stormwater Fund and the Open Space, or “Tree,” Fund, which someone can pay toward if they want to remove certain trees on their property.
As for the county, GOAL members asked one question of the three out of 12 County Council members who were present: Liz Seman, Ennis Fant and Alan Mitchell. All three said yes.
Will you promise to allocate $10 million to the Greenville County Redevelopment Authority by the 2027-2029 biennial budget cycle?
The Greenville County Redevelopment Authority was started in the 1970s and works to create affordable housing, improve neighborhood infrastructure and support businesses across the county.
Last year, Greenville County raised its annual contribution of $1 million for affordable housing to $2.5 million.
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