FLORENCE – Building Florence Together Community Development Corporation has completed its first housing rehabilitation project — a house at 320 S. Gaillard Street in Florence.
The nonprofit is on a mission to revitalize housing in at-risk neighborhoods in Florence.
This mission coincides with a pressing issue the city of Florence faces: how to ensure housing is affordable and accessible to all of its residents.
An even greater issue the city faces is home rehabilitation. Requests related to rehabilitation have increased 13 percent year-over-year in Florence.
Building Florence Together hopes to resolve these issues. The city established the organization back in 2021. In 2023, it hired Michelle Morgan as its executive director.
Housing renovation project
Only a year after her hiring, the organization has completed its first housing rehabilitation project.
The house was purchased in October 2023. It was put on the market on Sept. 13, and two days later it received a full price offer. The house was under contract by Sept. 16.
The house is 1,899 square feet with three bedrooms and two and a half bathrooms. The list price was $219,000.
The median home in Florence is between $260,000-$275,000, making this house more affordable for residents.
“This is letting us know that if we build homes at the right prices people will buy in this historical development area,” Morgan said.
One block down from the house is McLeod Hospital, making the area a great opportunity for growth and revitalization in Florence.
Morgan hopes people come back to this area and live in it because its location is convenient.
The house was originally built in 1910, making it 114 years old. The goal was to preserve some of its historical charm all while modernizing it.
“We took an old house, kept some of the historical finishes and modernized it to attract some of the new buyers,” Morgan said.
The renovation budget was originally set at $100,000, but it ended up costing roughly $130,000 to renovate the house.
Prior to the renovations, the house was appraised at $80,000. After the renovations, the house appraised at $237,000.
“This means we added value to this particular neighborhood,” Morgan said.
Committed to improving Florence
The organization is committed to creating equality, economic stability, and improved quality of life to residents through the revitalization and redevelopment of communities and neighborhoods in Florence.
This particular project will benefit the local community by inspiring other developers to build more homes in the area, increasing tax revenue and revitalizing the historical Pine district.
The nonprofit’s Board of Directors President Byron Jones said he believes home ownership is important because it changes lives and communities, making this project even more beneficial to the community.
“It’s a very exciting time,” Jones said.
Demand for affordable housing has continued to increase since the beginning of COVID-19, but there hasn’t been enough resources to meet demand.
Florence lacks homes for residents with middle class incomes.
“In general the state of South Carolina is growing, but the Pee Dee is growing too,” Jones said. Therefore having a solid housing stock and established communities is important for the revitalization of Florence.
Jones believes fixing this issue will require some real work. The corporation is going to need both private and public aid to improve the housing crisis in Florence.
Even though the task is challenging, Jones said he believes it is worth it because it helps people in need of affordable housing.
As a community development corporation, Jones said having the backing of the city and their strategic initiatives has helped this project tremendously. The corporation and the city are looking for sustainability.
“Having the resources of the city is what is empowering this movement,” Jones said, adding they’re not just excited about construction, they’re excited about developing people and the work force.
“We are in the building rehabilitation business but we’re also in the rehabilitation business of people, so that’s pretty exciting too,” Jones said.
The Florence Neighborhood Revitalization Plan was developed in 2014 by the City of Florence to help restore the desirability of neighborhoods one block at a time. However, the city is in the process of developing a new revitalization plan.
It is offering a down payment assistance program for individuals within certain income brackets. With this program, you are required to take financial literacy classes that teach budgeting and saving strategies and how to properly maintain a home.
“We want to make sure they’re set up for success,” Morgan said.
The down payment assistance serves as a second deferred mortgage. If the owner stays in the house for 15 years the mortgage will amortize, and the owner will pay nothing.
“This is only the beginning,” Jones said. “We’re just getting started. We’ve come a long way in the last year under Michelle’s leadership.”