2024-04 SC Safe Home Mitigation Grant Program Award Amount - Notice Program Revisions and Max. Grant Amounts-6-28-2024

South Carolina Department of Insurance HE RY MCMASTER Governor Capitol Center 1201 Main Street, Suite 1000 Columbia, South Carolina 29201 Mailing Address: P.O. Box 10010S, Columbia, S.C. 29202-3105 Telephone: (803) 737-6227 BULLETIN NUMBER 2024-04 TO: All Potential Applicants for South Carolina Safe Home Mitigation Grants FROM: Michael Wise A A· / /J t-JM-e,, Director 1/V~ MICHAEL WISE Director SUBJECT: SC Safe Home Mitigation Grant Program Award Amount - Notice of Program Revisions and Maximum Grant Amounts DATE: June 28, 2024 I. PURPOSE The South Carolina Department of Insurance administers the South Carolina Safe Home Mitigation Grant Program (SC Safe Home program) outlined in S.C. Code Ann. § 38-75-485 (2017). The program provides matching and non-matching grant funds to help coastal property owners retrofit their homes making them less vulnerable to the strong winds that accompany hurricanes and severe storms. Property insurers doing business in South Carolina are the primary funding source for the grant program. This bulletin is issued to provide notice of this year's funding amounts and a reminder of the modifications to maximum grant amounts effective FY 2023-2024. II. MAXIMUM GRANT AMOUNTS Grant award amounts are based on the Mitigation Grant Type selected by the applicant, the cost of the mitigation project and the total annual adjusted gross household income of the applicant, adjusted for family size relative to the county area median income or the state median family income, whichever is higher. The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) 2024 Datasets publish these statewide and countrywide income figures annually. If the cost of the mitigation project exceeds the amount of the grant award, the remaining cost is applicant's responsibility. The following table outlines the three Mitigation Grant Types and their corresponding maximum award amounts. Grants may be awarded up to the maximum amounts set forth below. Bulletins are the method by which the Director of Insurance formally communicates with persons and entities regulated by the Department. Bulletins are departmental interpretations of South Carolina insurance laws and regulations and provide guidance on the Department's enforcement approach. Bulletins do not provide legal advice. Readers should consult applicable statutes and regulations or contact an attorney for legal advice or for additional information on the impact of that legislation on their specific situation. L_ Mitigation Award Type Award Amounts will not exceed Resilient Mitigation Award Roof retrofits meeting SC Safe Home Non-matching Grants: up to $7,500.00 Retrofit Guidelines AND The Institute for Business Matching Grants: up to $6,000.00 and Home Safety FORTIFIED ROOF Program Retrofit Guidelines Sustainable Mitigation Award Roof retrofits meeting SC Safe Home Retrofit Non-matching Grants: $5,000.00 Guidelines only OR Window Replacement and Matching Grants: $4,000.00 Opening Protection Retrofits meeting SC Safe Home Opening Protection Guidelines Hurricane Shuttering and Protective Barrier Systems Award Non-matching and Matching: $3,000.00 Installation of hurricane shuttering and protective barrier systems meeting SC Safe Home Opening Protection Guidelines Approximately $2.9 million is available for funding for this year's SC Safe Home program. III. GRANT FUNDING CYCLES AND APPL I CA TIO NS A. Grant Funding Cycles Applications for the initial round of the 2024-2025 funding cycle will be available July 1, 2024. Currently, the program will accept applications and award grants using the methodology described above. The total amount awarded during this round will not exceed $1.4 million. The second round of grant funding should be available in January 2025 (subject to the availability of funds) at which time the program will accept new applications. The Department will publish on its website the starting date for the second round of funding in January 2025. Bulletins are the method by which the Director of Insurance formally communicates with persons and entities regulated by the Department. Bulletins are departmental interpretations of South Carolina insurance laws and regulations and prov ide guidance on the Department's enforcement approach. Bulletins do not provide legal advice. Readers should consult applicable statutes and regulations or contact an attorney for legal advice or for additional information on the impact of that legislation on their specific situation. 2 B. Grant Estimators To help applicants determine the estimated grant award amount, the South Carolina Department of Insurance has provided an award estimator located at SCSafeHome.com. Please see the examples below. Resilient Mitigation Resilient Mitigation Matching Grants Non-Matching Grants Applicant's Annual Adjusted Gross Income for the Applicant's Annual Adjusted Gross Income for the household size exceeds 80% of the HUD median for household size does not exceed 80% of the HUD median the county in which the home is located and the for the county in which the home is located or the state state average for household size. average for household size. Maximum Award is $6,000 Maximum Award is $7,500 Homeowner matches Safe Home• s contribution No homeowner matching required. • dollar- for-dollar up to the award maximum. • Example 1: New roof estimate =$11,670 Safe Home pays: $7,500 Homeowner pays: $4,170. Example 1: New roof estimate =$11,670 Safe Home pays: $5,835 Homeowner pays: $5,835 Sustainable Sustainable Matching Non-Matching Grants Grants Applicant's Annual Adjusted Gross Income for the Applicant's Annual Adjusted Gross Income for the household size exceeds 80% of the HUD median for household size does not exceed 80% of the HUD the county in which the home is located and the state median for the county in which the home is located or average for household size. the state average for household size. Maximum award is $4,000 Maximum award is $5,000 Homeowner matches Safe Home's contribution No homeowner matching required. • dollar- for-dollar up to the award maximum. • Example 1: Example 1: New roof estimate = $8,500 New roof estimate = $8,500 Safe Home pays: $4,000 Safe Home pays: $5,000 Homeowner pays: $4,SOO Homeowner pays: $3,500 Es:ample2: Example 2: Window Replacement and Opening Protection Window Replacement and Opening Protection estimate = $4,700 estimate = $4,700 Safe Home pays: $2,350 Safe Home pays: $4,700 Homeownerpays: $2,3SO Homeowner pays: $0 Bulletins are the method by which the Director of Insurance fonnally communicates with persons and entities regulated by the Department. Bulletins are departmental interpretations of South Carolina insurance laws and regulations and provide guidance on the Department's enforcement appMach. Bulletins do not provide legal advice. Readers should consult applicable statutes and regulations or contact an attorney for legal advice or for add111onal infonnation on the impact of that legislation on their specific situation. __J 3 L Hurricane Shuttering and Protective Barrier Systems Matching and Non-Matching Grants Applicant's Annual Adjusted Gross Income for the Applicant's Annual Adjusted Gross Income for the household size exceeds 80% of the HUD median for household size does not exceed 80% of the HUD median the county in which the home is located and the for the county in which the home is located or the state state average for household size. average for household size. Maximum award is $3,000 Maximum award is $3,000 Homeowner responsible for responsible for any costs of the mitigation project exceeding $3000. Example 1: Example 1: Hurricane Shuttering System Estimate = $S)SO Hurricane Shuttering System Estimate = $5,250 Safe Home pays $3,000 Safe Home pays $3,000 Homeowner pays $2,250 Homeowner pays remainder of cost of rettofit, $2,250 C. Submission of Grant Applications To apply for a South Carolina Safe Home grant, please visit SCSafeHome.com and submit an application via the online portal. The website includes video tutorials to assist applicants with the application submission process. Applicants remain responsible for any costs of the mitigation project exceeding the amount of the grant award, in addition to any required matching. Please direct any questions you may have regarding this Bulletin to the SC Safe Home program staff at (803)737-6087 or scsafehome@doi.sc.gov. Bulletins are the method by which the Director of Insurance formally communicates with persons and entities regulated by the Depanment. Bulletins are depanmental interpretations of South Carolina insurance laws and regulations and provide guidance on the Depanment's enforcement approach. Bulletins do not provide legal advice. Readers should consult applicable statutes and regulations or contact an attorney for legal advice or for additional information on the impact of that legislation on their specific situation. f 4 Homeowner responsible for any costs of the mitigation project exceeding $3,000.