Evictions in Horry County are restricted, some until August, and federal help is coming
Tenants overdue on rent payments in Horry County were given some additional time Thursday before their landlords are allowed to file for eviction, and some federal money may be available by then to keep them housed.
South Carolina Chief Justice Donald Beatty extended a statewide stay on evictions until May 15. His original order, put in place in March in response to the coronavirus pandemic, was initially set to expire Friday.
Beatty also ordered that property managers adhere to a federal law that stops some evictions until August.
The federal CARES Act prohibits evictions at properties financed by federal mortgages and subsidies until Aug. 24.
A database, published by a Seattle Times reporter based on information from Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and the U.S. Federal Housing Administration, shows 43 such properties in the Horry County, Myrtle Beach area totaling more than 7,500 housing units. The list is not exhaustive, so some properties not included are also federally protected.
Beatty has previously emphasized that his order does not mean renters don’t have to pay rent. If renters do not pay rent, they could be evicted or penalized later, housing attorneys have told The State Newspaper.
Assistance available
When evictions are allowed to proceed, Eastern Carolina Housing Organization is preparing to use a federal grant to provide assistance to renters facing eviction due to economic hardships created by the COVID-19 crisis.
ECHO already has some money available from U.S. Housing and Urban Development’s Emergency Solutions Grant, which they get annually, but that money can only be used to help families whose annual income is 30 percent or less of the median income, adjusted for family size, in the county they reside.
The median household income in 2020 is $57,400 in the Myrtle Beach area, according to HUD’s calculations, meaning a family’s income could not exceed $17,200 to remain eligible.
ECHO’s service area includes Chesterfield, Clarendon, Darlington, Dillon, Florence, Georgetown, Horry, Kershaw, Lee, Marion, Marlboro, Sumter and Williamsburg counties.
Joey Smoak, ECHO’s CEO, said in a typical year, they would expect to use a majority of that grant money on rapid rehousing — a program that houses individuals and families who recently became homeless — but he expects the temporary business closures caused by coronavirus will lead them to use it this year primarily to prevent evictions, known as their homeless prevention program.
Smoak had expressed concern that the 30 percent of median income restriction would cause a lot of people needing assistance to be ineligible, but the portion of the CARES Act allocating additional money for homeless assistance grants specifies that families are eligible if they don’t exceed the “Very-Low Income Limit,” which HUD defines as 50 percent of the median family income in the area.
ECHO is expected to receive up to $1.5 million additional for homeless prevention, but Smoak said that money hasn’t been made available to them yet, so the money they have available now must still go to those meeting the lower income threshold. He added that he’s hopeful the additional federal money, which projects to aid 150-300 families avoid eviction, will be available by May 15.
Applications for assistance will be available once the eviction moratorium is lifted on ECHO’s website at echousing.org or can be completed over the phone at 843-213-1798.
All applicants will be screened for eligibility and be asked to provide documentation including verification of household income and either a magistrate’s Court Order of Eviction or a letter from their landlord stating the applicant is behind on rent and will be evicted within 14 days.
