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SC Safe Home Mitigation Grant Program
About the South Carolina Safe Home Program:
The South Carolina Safe Home program, administered by the South Carolina Department of Insurance, provides matching and non-matching grant funds to help coastal property owners retrofit their homes to make them more resistant to hurricanes and high-wind damage. The funds provided by this program are for the sole purpose of retrofitting owner-occupied, single-family homes. SC Safe Home funds may not be used for remodeling, home repair, or new construction.
Grant awards are based on 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. These statewide and countywide income figures are published annually by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
If the cost of the mitigation project exceeds the amount of the grant award, the remaining cost is the responsibility of the applicant.
No grant award may exceed $7,500.00 for non-matching awards or $6,000.00 for matching awards for projects meeting the Resilient Mitigation Award requirements. No grant award may exceed $5,000.00 for non-matching awards or $4,000.00 for matching awards for projects meeting the Sustainable Mitigation Award requirements. Grant awards for Hurricane Shuttering and Protective Barrier Systems will not exceed $3,000.00 for either matching or non-matching projects meeting the SC Safe Home Opening Protection Guidelines.
The first round of the 2023-2024 funding cycle will be available no later than July 5, 2023. At that time, the program will accept applications and award grants using the outlined methodology. The total amount awarded during this round will not exceed $1.1 million.
The maximum individual grant amounts (effective July 1, 2023) are as follows:
Mitigation Award Type | Award Amounts |
Resilient Mitigation Award Roof retrofits meeting SC Safe Home Retrofit Guidelines AND The Institute for Business and Home Safety FORTIFIED ROOF Program Retrofit Guidelines | Non-matching Grants: $7,500.00 Matching Grants: $6,000.00 |
Sustainable Mitigation Award Roof retrofits meeting SC Safe Home Retrofit Guidelines only OR Window Replacement and Opening Protection Retrofits meeting SC Safe Home Opening Protection Guidelines | Non-matching Grants: $5,000.00 Matching Grants: $4,000.00 |
Hurricane Shuttering and Protective Barrier Systems Award Installation of hurricane shuttering and protective barrier systems meeting SC Safe Home Opening Protection Guidelines | Non-matching and Matching: $3,000.00 |
To help applicants determine their estimated grant award, the South Carolina Department of Insurance has provided an award estimator.
The Following Retrofits Are Allowable Under the SC Safe Home Grant Program
| Bracing gable ends | Roof-to-wall connectors | Secondary water barrier | |
Exterior doors (including garage doors) | Roof covering | Repair or replacement of manufactured home piers, anchors, and tie-down straps | |
Opening protection (window replacement, hurricane shutters) | Roof deck attachment | Issues associated with weak trusses, studs, and structural components | |
The SC Safe Home Program has partnered with The Institute for Business and Home Safety (IBHS) FORTIFIED ROOF Program to provide participating homeowners the possibility of achieving dual designations when mitigation work is performed on the roof of their homes. In choosing the Resilient Mitigation Award type, the homeowner may qualify for additional insurance benefits based on meeting the now-shared standards of the Safe Home program and the IBHS FORTIFIED ROOF program.
This program was established through the Omnibus Coastal Property Insurance Reform Act of 2007. Changes to the program made during the 2017-2018 Session of the South Carolina General Assembly are outlined in Act 28. For additional information please see South Carolina Department of Insurance Bulletin 2023-02.
Should you have any questions concerning this information, please contact the SC Safe Home Grant Program staff by calling (803) 737 - 6087. You may also contact the staff at the following email address: scsafehome@doi.sc.gov.