Homeownership Initiative (HI)

If you would like information mailed to you regarding the program, please call the Department of Housing and Community Development at: 843.724.7353. 


About the Initiative

The City of Charleston’s Homeownership Initiative (HI) was designed to create affordable home ownership opportunities for low- and moderate-income families and stimulate revitalization. The Initiative is a partnership between the City and non-profit and for-profit organizations. 

The program provides housing opportunities for people and households earning from fifty (50%) percent to one hundred and twenty (120%) of the Area Median Income, that have not owned a home in three years and can qualify for a first mortgage. The City of Charleston preserves the affordability of these homes by recording a ninety-year (90) Restrictive Covenant.  To date, one hundred and thirty-three (133) households have purchased a home, and seventy-four (74%) percent of those households have one hundred (100%) percent AMI or below.  


  1. Background
  2. HI Facts
  3. Upcoming Opportunities

Background

The City adopted The Charleston Homeownership Initiative Redevelopment Plan in December of 2000, creating the Homeownership Initiative (HI) program. In response to the imbalance between household incomes and housing costs in downtown Charleston, Mayor Riley and the City Council challenged city staff to develop a program that:

  • Provided housing affordable to persons of low- and moderate-incomes
  • Revitalized some of the City's most distressed neighborhoods
  • Built capacity among the local non-profit organizations


  1. 1 Front of Refinished House
  2. 2 Front of House