Housing Assistance for Single Mothers in South Carolina

Where to start

Do not wait for one office to answer before calling another. Shelter, rent aid, utility aid, legal help, and voucher programs use different funds and different rules.

Quick reference

Emergency shelter and homelessness help

South Carolina is divided into four regional Continuums of Care. These groups plan and coordinate housing and services for people who are homeless or at risk. The state CoC directory shows the regions and the counties they cover.

Ask 211 how to reach the local Coordinated Entry or access system. A worker may ask where you slept last night, when you must leave, how many children are with you, and whether pregnancy, disability, violence, or a disaster affects your housing.

Coordinated Entry does not guarantee a shelter bed or apartment. It helps local providers screen needs and connect families to options that may include shelter, diversion, homelessness prevention, rapid rehousing, or supportive housing when space and money are available.

Current rent help and eviction support

The large COVID-era SC Stay Plus rental program is over. SC Housing says the program spent all of its federal rent and utility funds and will not reopen. Be careful with old application pages or messages claiming to represent that program.

Current emergency rent help is local. It may come through a Community Action Agency, shelter provider, city or county program, church, charity, or Emergency Solutions Grant provider. Use the OEO county finder to reach the agency serving your county. Ask what is open today, who may qualify, and what proof is needed.

Emergency Solutions Grant money goes to approved shelters and nonprofit providers. It can support emergency shelter, homelessness prevention, rapid rehousing, and related services. Families do not apply to the state grant office. They contact the local provider or homelessness system.

If eviction papers have been filed, legal help and rent help should happen at the same time. South Carolina Legal Services offers housing information and intake for eligible low-income residents. The ASMOM South Carolina legal guide lists more civil legal-aid steps.

Section 8, vouchers, and public housing

The Housing Choice Voucher program, often called Section 8, helps eligible households rent from private landlords. Public housing is owned or managed by a housing authority. Project-based help stays with one apartment or property.

The statewide agency, SC Housing, runs its voucher program in Clarendon, Colleton, Dorchester, Fairfield, Kershaw, Lee, and Lexington counties. Its updated official voucher page says it provides up to 2,500 vouchers there, based on federal funding. This count is a program capacity statement, not the number of vouchers available to new applicants. The agency’s voucher forms and policy page includes applicant forms and rules.

As checked October 12, 2026, SC Housing’s own Housing Choice Voucher waiting list is closed to all new applicants until further notice. SC Housing says the wait can be several years for people already on its list, and it cannot promise an offer date. Do not send a new application unless its official website posts an opening. For general questions or to check an existing application, call 803-896-8888 or use the SC Housing applicant portal. This closed status does not mean every housing authority in South Carolina is closed.

Use the official HUD agency directory to find housing authorities. Waiting lists may open for a short period, use a lottery, or accept only certain programs. Apply to more than one area when you can safely live there.

Keep every confirmation number and proof that you applied. If you already have an SC Housing application, send address changes in writing or through its applicant portal. SC Housing says it does not accept address-change requests by phone. Other housing authorities have their own rules; ask each one how to update your contact, household, or income details.

Affordable apartments while you wait

Start here if you need lower rent but no voucher list is open. Property-based aid, tax-credit apartments, and rural rental housing use separate applications. Some units may have income or age rules. A listing is not proof that a unit is available today.

For income-limited rental units, SC Housing posts 2026 income and rent limits for several types of assisted housing. Ask the property manager which set of rules applies to that building before ruling yourself out.

A voucher is not the only way to find lower rent. Some apartment properties receive tax credits, HUD aid, USDA financing, or other support. You usually apply to each property, and each property may have its own income rules and waiting list.

• Use SC Housing Search to look by rent, bedroom size, location, and accessibility.
• Use the HUD Resource Locator to find subsidized apartments and housing offices.
• Use the USDA rental search for rural multifamily properties.

Call each property to ask about vacancies, waitlists, deposits, fees, income rules, accessibility, and vouchers.

LIHEAP and weatherization

The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) may help eligible households pay part of a heating or cooling bill or address an energy crisis. LIHEAP does not pay rent or ordinary water and sewer bills. South Carolina’s Office of Economic Opportunity sends funds to local Community Action Agencies; the state office does not take household applications. Ask your local office about proof of South Carolina residence, income for adults in your home, an energy bill in an adult household member’s name, and any extra papers it needs.

The official South Carolina LIHEAP page says the local office decides eligibility and how to apply. It also warns that qualifying does not guarantee help when funds run out. Local offices may give priority to emergencies or limit how often a household receives aid.

Weatherization may lower future energy use through work such as air sealing, insulation, or heating and cooling improvements when allowed. Apply through the agency serving your county. The current weatherization page lists income limits and the local application path.

For other utility steps, use the ASMOM South Carolina utility guide. The Community Action guide explains other help these local agencies may offer.

Disability needs and fair housing

If someone in the household has a disability, ask housing agencies and landlords about reasonable accommodations. Examples may include a different way to communicate, extra time for a disability-related reason, an accessible unit, or permission for a live-in aide. The decision depends on the facts and program rules.

South Carolina fair housing law protects people from housing discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, or familial status. Families with children are included under familial status.

If you believe a landlord, seller, lender, property manager, or housing agency treated you unfairly due to a protected characteristic, the South Carolina housing complaint page explains how to speak with a state intake worker and file a complaint. The agency says a complaint to it usually must be filed within 180 days of the act; it lists one year for a complaint filed with HUD. Other legal deadlines can differ. Contact the agency or a lawyer promptly rather than waiting until the final day.

The ASMOM South Carolina disability guide can help you check other benefit and service paths.

School help and disaster housing

If your child is staying in a shelter, motel, car, campground, or temporary shared home because stable housing was lost, ask the school district for its McKinney-Vento liaison. The state school program page explains rights and services for students experiencing homelessness.

A liaison may help with enrollment, transportation, meals, records, and local referrals. The district decides eligibility.

After a federally declared storm or other disaster, use DisasterAssistance.gov to check covered counties, programs, and deadlines. Keep photos, insurance papers, repair estimates, receipts, lease records, and letters from landlords or agencies.

Homebuyer and repair help

Homebuyer programs are not emergency housing. They may fit families ready for a mortgage and ownership costs.

SC Housing offers mortgage options through approved lenders. Its 2026–2027 homebuyer limits give county income and purchase-price rules. Its homebuyer programs page explains aid that may help with closing costs or a down payment. The bond program may offer forgivable aid as a second loan, with terms that can require repayment if the home is sold or the loan is refinanced too soon. Ask a participating lender for current terms and total monthly costs before signing.

Very-low-income rural homeowners may also check the USDA home repair program. Loans may fund repairs or improvements. Grants are limited to elderly, very-low-income homeowners removing health and safety hazards.

Before choosing a lender or repair loan, use the HUD counselor finder for independent counseling. A counselor may help with renting, buying, foreclosure, credit, or budgeting.

Documents and information to gather

Tell an advocate if it is not safe to send or share your current address. Ask what other proof is accepted if you do not have an ID, lease, pay stub, or Social Security number. You should not have to guess which records a program requires.

Each office may ask for different proof. Gather clear copies now and ask what can be used when a document is missing. The ASMOM documents checklist gives a wider list.

A practical application plan

1. Write one clear sentence about the crisis, such as: “I have two children and must leave by Friday.”
2. Call 211 and ask for shelter or Coordinated Entry, rent help, legal aid, and the Community Action Agency serving your county.
3. Contact every housing authority and affordable property in places where you can live. Ask whether each list is open.
4. Send only the papers requested, but keep full copies and screenshots.
5. Write down names, dates, confirmation numbers, and next steps.
6. Check mail, email, and voicemail often. Report changes when the program requires it.

Housing costs may be easier to manage after checking the ASMOM South Carolina SNAP guide and South Carolina child care options.

If you are denied, delayed, or ignored

Ask for the decision in writing. Find the reason, date, and review or appeal steps. If proof is missing, ask for the exact document, accepted format, and last day to send it.

For LIHEAP or weatherization, begin with the local Community Action Agency. The state says applicants who believe they were treated unfairly or denied services may request a fair hearing through that agency and may have another state-level appeal step.

Voucher, public housing, eviction, fair housing, and disability matters use different reviews and deadlines. An agency denial is not the same as an eviction court order. Ask whether you can request an informal review, hearing, or accommodation, and how to submit the request before its deadline. If you received court papers or suspect bias, ask legal aid about your rights; do not assume one appeal process fits every problem.

The ASMOM benefits problem guide explains how to track notices and calls. Keep all papers until the matter is finished.