Need to Repair Your Old Home? Try Columbia’s SHINE Program for Financial Help
If you’re a Columbia resident and homeowner with a property that’s showing its age and needs repairs, Columbia City in South Carolina Community Development Department has a solution for you. Through the Single-family Housing Improvement for Neighborhood Enhancement, or SHINE, program, eligible homeowners can receive assistance for a variety of housing rehabilitation needs.
The SHINE program, an initiative of the City of Columbia’s Community Development Department, is currently welcoming applications from homeowners residing within Columbia’s city limits. The assistance provided under the SHINE program can range from minor weatherization projects to full-scale home replacement, depending on the extent of the required repairs and the homeowner’s individual circumstances.
However, to qualify for assistance from the SHINE program, applicants need to meet specific criteria:
- Applications must be submitted in person during one of the two provided enrollment sessions.
- The home in question should be a single-family dwelling that is owner-occupied and located within Columbia’s city boundaries.
- The owner’s household income should fall under the ‘low’ or ‘moderate’ brackets.
- The applicant must be living in the home or have owned the property for a minimum of five years.
Starting June 1, 2023, SHINE program applications can be obtained both online and from various community centers within the city, including:
- Busby St. Community Center (1735 Busby St.)
- Hyatt Park (950 Jackson Ave.)
- Greenview Park (6700 David St.)
- Lorick Park (1600 Lorick Ave.)
- Martin Luther King, Jr. Park (2300 Greene St.)
- Pinehurst Park (2300 Pinehurst Rd.)
- Katheryn M. Bellfield Booker Washington Heights Cultural Arts Center (2611 Grant St.)
Prospective applicants should download, print, and fill out the form before bringing it, along with all necessary documentation, to an open enrollment session. These enrollment sessions are scheduled as follows:
- Tuesday, June 13, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Eau Claire Print Building (3907 Ensor Ave., Columbia, SC 29203)
- Wednesday, June 28, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Earlewood Park (1113 Recreation Dr., Columbia, SC 292023)
During these sessions, members of the Community Development team will meet with each applicant individually to review the submitted application and required documentation.
The SHINE program, funded by the US Housing and Urban Development (HUD), supersedes the previously available Maintenance Assistance Program. Selected contractors who have been included in the SHINE program’s list are privy to project bidding information, but homeowners retain the right to approve the final bid from the contractor.
For more comprehensive information about the SHINE program, potential applicants are advised to visit communitydevelopment.columbiasc.gov/shine.
