Housing Choice Voucher Homeownership Program

SC Housing provides current Housing Choice Voucher program participants the opportunity to participate in a home ownership program that will help them advance from rental housing to owning their own home. If a family meets the criteria stated below, the rental voucher can be changed to a home ownership voucher.

• The head of household must currently be an active HCV participant, and must have been leased up using the HCV/Section 8 voucher for a minimum of one year.
• The voucher family must currently be in compliance with all HCV program requirements, and must be a family in good standing.
• The head of household and/or spouse must have maintained full-time continuous employment for a minimum of one year.
• There are minimum total gross income requirements. This does not include the value of the voucher. Contact your local Housing Choice Voucher administrator to learn more.
• Total annual household income cannot be derived from any form of welfare unless it is for an elderly and/or disabled person.
• None of the household members can have any ownership in any other real property.
• The purchaser of the home (and all household members) may not have held title to any property for a period of three years prior to participation.
• The head of household agrees to satisfactorily complete Homebuyer Education classes and any additional education requirements necessary as determined by SC Housing.
• Upon successful completion of the instruction and education sections of the program, the family will be referred to an approved SC Housing lender to be pre-qualified for an affordable home loan. The Public Housing Agency administering the applicants Housing Choice Voucher will provide the lender with the family's estimated homebuyer subsidy to be included in the mortgage loan approval decision.
• The total tenant payment, tenant rent, and housing assistance payments will be calculated in accordance with all provisions of the Housing Choice Voucher program.

Note: Eligibility to participate in the HCV Home Ownership Program does not guarantee the applicant will qualify to buy a home. The head of household must independently obtain a mortgage prequalification letter from an approved SC Housing lender. The prequalification letter will include the price of the home that can be purchased, and provides the applicant the opportunity to work with a real estate agent/broker to start the home buying process.

Contact your Housing Choice Voucher administrator at your local Public Housing Agency to learn more.

Public Housing Agencies approved to participate in the Housing Choice Voucher Homeownership Program with SC Housing: SC State Housing Finance and Development Authority, Columbia City Housing Authority, Greenville City Housing Authority, Myrtle Beach Housing Authority, North Charleston Housing Authority and Spartanburg Housing Authority. If you represent a housing agency interested in participating, please contact SC Housing at Homeownership@SCHousing.com.

• HCV Homeownership Program Flyer