State lawmakers tour Joseph Floyd Manor as they seek solutions to affordable housing crisis

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD)- Several Lowcountry lawmakers toured Joseph Floyd Manor in downtown Charleston Friday as they seek to address livability concerns and the state’s ongoing affordable housing crisis.

Reports of bed bugs, roaches, and rodents at Joseph Floyd Manor have surfaced in recent years, with some previously characterizing living conditions for the more than 150 residents as “deplorable.”

It is a concern that officials within the Charleston County Housing and Redevelopment Authority (CCHRA) said the agency has worked to address, starting with major improvements to drainage infrastructure as well as fire, boiler, and chiller system upgrades.

“We’re not to the cosmetic phase yet, but we’re going to get there,” CCHRA CEO Angela Childers said. “We’re still working on the big ticket mechanical issues.”

And now, the decades-old building also needs critical maintenance repairs.

“We need a new roof. We have some piping in the basement that needs repairing. We have some basement walls that have some water encroachment so that also needs repaired. We need a new sump pump in our sub-basement,” Childers added.

Childers took over as CEO in 2023, the same year the housing authority was designated “troubled” by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). It remained under that status as of mid-August, according to a HUD spokesperson.

She joined State Reps. Joe Bustos (R-Charleston), Tom Hartnett (R-Charleston), and Mark Smith (R-Berkeley) as they toured a community garden, various common areas, and a vacant unit inside the building.

The group then sat down to discuss potential government-based solutions to alleviate the housing crisis, including tax incentives for landlords who rent to low-income families, more down payment assistance for new homeowners, and set aside multifamily affordable housing bonds.

Those bonds are sold by local and state governments and can be used to finance the construction of apartments for lower-income families. According to Childers, the State Fiscal Accountability Authority did not allocate any multi-family bonds in 2022, leaving many projects across the state unfunded.

“We’ll go through those and work out a game plan so when we go back in January, we can offer bills and gain support to do some things,” Rep. Bustos said. “I think one of the first we need to do is the bonding issue to get them the ability to raise money.”

A lack of funding is the greatest challenge to improving livability and increasing access to affordable housing, Childers explained.

The housing authority is separate from the county and is not included in the county’s budget. Instead, it relies on HUD funding and other federal dollars that flow through local and state governments.

But, Childers said the funding has grown inadequate and the authority has had to turn to other sources like nonprofit organizations for help.

Smith noted that while Joseph Floyd Manor has “good bones,” inadequate funding has limited the housing authority’s ability to rehabilitate that facility and others.

“With the minuscule budget that they’re forced to deal with here, there are deferred maintenance issues that are of grave concern that need to be addressed,” he said. “They cannot do this alone. They need some help and that’s part of what was discovered and identified today.”

The housing authority has also found other ways to raise money, including putting some of its single-family affordable housing units up for sale.

In 2021, the housing authority sold 18 homes to Charleston County. Now, they’re looking to sell another 30 houses — this time on the open market.

The proposal raised questions from the trio of lawmakers in attendance Friday, as well as Joe Jefferson (D-Berkeley), and Gary Brewer (R-Charleston), who called for an immediate investigation.

The single-story homes, many of which were described as in “extremely poor condition,” are collectively valued at roughly $7.75 million. Childers said the proceeds would be used for repairs and other affordability housing projects.

Smith said he has been encouraged by the housing authority’s response to their concerns, with further discussions expected to take place at the Charleston County Legislative Delegation meeting on Monday.