In October 2020, SCVAN was awarded a grant through the Office for Victims of Crime to create a new legal appellate clinic focused specifically on crime victims' rights. There is minimal case law in South Carolina to support victims’ statutory and constitutional rights. New law created through appellate work is necessary to strengthen existing rights and support their enforcement in the lower courts. Therefore, we have partnered with the National Crime Victim Law Institute and created an Appellate Law Clinic to increase victim access to no cost legal services and provide training and technical assistance to meet this need.

Interested in volunteering with the clinic? Fill out our Volunteer Interest Survey. 

Have a case you want to refer to the clinic? Fill out our Referral Form. Please know that we cannot accept any cases until the victim has completed an intake either online or over the phone. 

In October 2020, SCVAN was awarded a grant through the Office of Violence on Women. With a focus on South Carolina’s rural communities and devoting 50% or more of LAV grant funded activities to victims of sexual assault, SCVAN Legal has created the Victim Transition Assistance Program (VTAP). The goal of the program is to refer victim clients to community partners who will provide in-kind services to empower victim clients to take steps to become self-sufficient survivors through personal and professional success.

Below are some opportunities for survivors to become more financially self-sufficient*: 

• Kraft Heinz
• Cintas
• Emergency Solutions Grant
• Richland Library Social Workers
• Spartanburg Community College’s Free Tuition Initiative
• Spartanburg County Emergency Rental Assistance Program
• The Dream Center, Easley SC

The Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) Program

...provides funding to prevent families and individuals from becoming homeless and to rapidly rehouse homeless individuals and families. 

For homeless prevention efforts, ESG offers: 
Housing relocation and stabilization services; and
Rental assistance to prevent the individual or family from moving into an emergency shelter and can include financial assistance with paying rent, back rent (rental arrears), rental application fees, security deposits, advance payment of last month's rent, utility deposits and payments, moving costs, housing search and placement, housing stability case management, mediation, legal services, and credit repair.

For Rapid Re-Housing, ESG offers:
Housing relocation and stabilization services; and
Rental assistance to help individuals or families living in an emergency shelter or another temporary place to move as quickly as possible into permanent housing and achieve stability in that housing.

To apply, contact the agency listed for your county:

LOWCOUNTRY CONTINUUM OF CARE (COC)
8084 Rivers Avenue, Suite 200
North Charleston, SC  29406
843.737.8357
https://lowcountrycoc.org/hp-1
COUNTIES SERVED:  Beaufort, Berkeley, Charleston, Colleton, Dorchester, Hampton, Jasper

UNITED HOUSING CONNECTIONS (UHC)
135 Edinburg Court, Suite #201
Greenville, SC  29607
864.241.0462
UpstateCoC@uhcsc.org
https://www.unitedhousingconnections.org
COUNTIES SERVED:  Abbeville, Anderson, Cherokee, Edgefield, Greenville, Greenwood, Laurens, McCormick, Oconee, Pickens, Saluda, Spartanburg, Union

MIDLANDS AREA CONSORTIUM FOR THE HOMELESS (MACH)
1818 Blanding Street
Columbia, SC  29201
803.733.5400
midlandshomeless@gmail.com
https://www.midlandshomeless.com
COUNTIES SERVED:  Aiken, Allendale, Bamberg, Barnwell, Calhoun, Chester, Fairfield, Newberry, Lancaster, Lexington, Orangeburg, Richland, York

EASTERN CAROLINA HOUSING ORGANIZATION (ECHO)
407 Broadway Street
Myrtle Beach, SC  29577
843.213.1798
frontdesk@echousing.org
https://echousing.org
COUNTIES SERVED:  Chesterfield, Clarendon, Darlington, Dillon, Florence, Georgetown, Horry, Lee, Marion, Marlboro, Sumter, Williamsburg

Richland Library Social Workers
Richland County, SC 

Providing application assistance, information, and referrals on:

• FAFSA
• Food (including vouchers and providers)
• Housing/Shelter Referrals
• Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)
• Legal Assistance Referrals
• Medicaid
• Medicare Prescription Assistance
• SNAP (Food Stamps)
• Veterans Benefits
• Vision/Dental Needs
• Voter Registration
• Kinship Support

Free of charge services are provided to all Richland Library customers and those in the surrounding community, and a library card is NOT required.  To request an appointment, visit richlandlibrary.com/services/meet-social-worker, or call 803.231.6356.

Spartanburg Community College’s Free Tuition Initiative

WHO is eligible for SCC’s free tuition?

• Free tuition at SCC is available to anyone with a desire to begin or continue their education, including…
• Anyone who lives or works in S.C.
• Adults with some or no college
• Recent high school graduates
• Dual enrolled high school students
• Career changers
• Anyone who needs a do-over – start college again
• All college-eligible students who enroll at SCC for a minimum of six credit hours (typically two courses) are eligible for SCC’s free tuition for the 2021-2022 academic year (begins fall 2021 term).
• To qualify for SCC’s free tuition, students must complete a FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) and have exhausted all other grants, aid, scholarships, etc. Assistance may include, but is not limited to, grants (Federal Pell Grants, Federal Supplemental Opportunity Grant, S.C. Needs-Based Grant); and scholarships, SC Lottery Tuition Assistance Program (LTAP), etc.

WHO are college-eligible students?

• Anyone who has received a high school diploma or GED (Graduate Equivalency Degree)
• Anyone who enrolls at SCC and takes a minimum of six credit hours (typically two courses)
• Full-time and Part-time students
• Online and in-person
• South Carolina residents
• Nonresidents with full-time employment in South Carolina
• DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals)
• International students
• Dual enrolled high school students

WHAT does the free tuition initiative cover?

• The free tuition initiative covers tuition only for SCC academic (credit) program offerings as long as all eligibility requirements have been met (see above).
• The free tuition initiative does not cover books, supplies, fees, living expenses, etc. Students are responsible for any program-specific fees including, but not limited to, distance learning/hybrid distance learning fees, lab fees, and any other non-academic assessed fees.

WHAT about non-credit courses?

• The free tuition initiative does not include Corporate and Community Education (CCE) non-credit classes, but funding is frequently available. Give them a call at 864-592-4900.

WHEN does the free tuition initiative begin?

• SCC’s free tuition is available throughout the 2021-2022 academic year—fall 2021, spring 2022, summer 2022 semesters—to all college-eligible students.

Visit www.sccgoesfree.com for the most up-to-date information.

Spartanburg County Emergency Rental Assistance Program
           
          The Emergency Rental Assistance Program is a US Treasury Funded initiative, part of the American       Rescue Plan. Their goal is to assist renters in Spartanburg County who have been impacted in some way by                
           COVID-19.
         
          Eligibility Requirements:

Must be a renter in Spartanburg County
Household income can not be more than 80% of the area’s median income  
May be eligible if your household is at risk of homelessness or live in an unsafe or unstable housing situation
Must have qualified for unemployment benefits, experienced a reduction in income or experienced other financial hardships due to the Pandemic

For more information you can visit www.spartanburgcounty.org or call any of the Spartanburg County Partners:

Middle Tyger Community Center- Lyman, SC- 864-439-7760

Upstate Family Resource Center- Boiling Springs, SC- 864-578-1379

The Harren Community Solutions- Spartanburg, SC 864-582-6737

The Dream Center, Easley, South Carolina     

The Dream Center is a non-profit organization in the Upstate of South Carolina offering assistance to those in crisis. The programs at the Dream Center are developed to help individuals become healthy and to empower and equip them.

Some of the programs offered are:

Free Classes- These classes are free and open to the public. Some of the topics include parenting, budgeting, health, Bible study and more. There is a calendar of classes posted each month on the website. Free childcare is offered and requires a 24 hour notice.

Crisis Intervention- There are intake specialists available to assist with developing an action plan for each individual’s crisis situation. Some resources offered are fod boxes, showers, store vouchers, change of clothing if needed. They will also provide help with finding employment and housing.
               
The Opportunity Village- This is a one of a kind Homeless Shelter Program created by the Dream Center, but it is NOT an emergency shelter. This program is a year long program that uses 23 tiny houses and 10 transitional houses to empower residents to become self-sufficient. This one year program is for women and women with children who are homeless.

The Santa Shoppe Assistance-  This program is referral based with partners in the local school districts to allow parents that qualify to earn Christmas gifts for their children.

Project S.E.W.- This project was created in 2019 to address the labor crisis that exists in the sewing industry in South carolina. This program places people in sewing jobs with manufacturers and provides a model that can be duplicated across the state.

Dream Dollars- A dream dollar is worth $8.00 and can be redeemed at the Dream Center to purchase hygiene products from the General Store, take a shower, do laundry, and could also be used in one of the three Dream Center Resale Store locations. (Easley, Pickens, Seneca) You can earn $8.00 Dream Dollars every time you attend one of their free classes.

Dream Center General Store- The general store offers personal hygiene products, paper, and baby products. It is open every Wednesday from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM.

The Dream Center also partners with five other non-profit organizations in the community to offer other needed services.

The Dream Center is located at:
111 Hillcrest Drive, Easley, SC 29640

Phone: 864-644-8885

Website: dreamcenterpc.org

*Updated Mar 2022

Victims' Rights Centers (VRCs)

User Friendly Videoconferencing for Victims & Attorneys

Interested in volunteering with SCVAN Legal? Fill out our Volunteer Interest Survey.

Current Job Listings: 

VICTIM ACCESS COORDINATOR- SCVAN’S APPELLATE LAW CLINIC PARALEGAL
SCVAN’s Appellate Law Clinic Paralegal will be a full-time, salaried employee who works 37.5 hours per week and devotes 100% of his/her time to this Project. They will report to two Clinic Senior Staff Attorneys. This position will be primarily responsible for outreach and administrative duties associated with the Clinic project.

Key Responsibilities:

• Assist Clinic Staff Attorneys with drafting, filing, and serving legal pleadings and documents
• Conduct legal research using Fast Case, Lexis or Westlaw (as available)
• Attend legal consultations between victims and Clinic Staff Attorneys and take detailed meeting notes
• Provide support, resources, and referrals to victims, victim service providers and volunteer or staff attorneys as necessary
• Check/respond or forward mail and emails to appropriate Clinic Attorney (regularly and respond immediately/reasonably) to review and determine responses, next steps, etc.
• Work with the other SCVAN advocates, complete intakes by telephone as assigned
• Organize all electronic client files using CLIO case management system by keeping folders up to date and filing documents in respective folders
• Provide administrative assistance including but not limited to court scheduling, general correspondence, checking and sorting mail, monthly reimbursement & mileage forms, and maintaining client files
• Collaborate with the project Attorneys to identify opportunities in the community to serve as an ambassador for the Clinic project and coordinate, design, and implement current efforts to inform individuals and communities about SCVAN’s services
• Engage in outreach across the state to spread awareness of our program and its technology by attending community and project partner events, meetings, and other relevant engagements
• Manage communication between Clinic staff and organizations that serve victims and members of the community
• Help complete and compile all information/statistics for all grant reports, and completing other delegated tasks, as requested

The ideal candidate will have experience in assisting with filing appeals in the South Carolina Supreme Court, South Carolina Court of Appeals and lower courts and have knowledge of the appellate filing process and timelines.

The selectee will be in a hybrid work situation, combining working from home with days in the Spartanburg Office as needed.

To apply, please send cover letter and resume to Senior Staff Attorney Tamika Cannon at tamika@scvan.org.