Victim Transition Assistance Program

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
...is hiring for positions in its Newberry County facility. Positions are full-time, 40-50 hours per week, $13-$15 per hour. Employee benefits include a discount food store, transportation assistance, job preparation, and an employee assistance program that includes a number of counseling sessions per year, personalized guidance for daily life responsibilities, online resources for emotional wellbeing and work/life balance, and free consultations for some legal matters and for financial services and support. Kraft Heinz is looking to add even more employee benefits. To apply, visit careers.kraftheinz.com/
Cintas

...is hiring for approximately 20 positions in its Greenville County facility.  Cintas has folder and inspection positions available, with the opportunity for advancement.  Hiring is for either 2nd shift (2 p.m. - 10 p.m.) or 3rd shift (10 p.m. - 6 a.m.).  No minimum qualifications are required.  A background check is required.  Pay is $12 per hour.  Hiring is open to non-English speaking applicants.  Cintas offers non-English interpreter services, as well as American Sign Language interpreter services.



To apply, visit careers.cintas.com, and enter “29607” as the zip code on the search screen.

Emergency Solutions Grant

...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

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
  • 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.

 

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: www.dreamcenterpc.org

SC Stay Plus- COVID-19 Emergency Rental Assistance

This program was created to assist South Carolina households that are unable to pay rent and utilities due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The program pays landlords and utility companies directly on  behalf of the renters. The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2022 and SC Act 17 of 2021 have made this possible.

 

Eligibility Requirements for SC Stay Plus:

 

1. The household must be obligated to pay rent on a residential dwelling, AND where one or members of the household can demonstrate risk of homelessness or housing instability, AND total household income is at or below 80% of the area median income as defined by Federal Government, AND one or more members of the household must meet one of the following:

 

A. Qualified for unemployment benefits or
B. Experienced a reduction in household income
C. Incurred significant costs or
D. Experienced other financial hardships due to COVID-19

 

The SC Stay Plus Program will NOT cover rent or utility expenses that have been covered by other Federally funded rental assistance. This program is for renters only and will not cover mortgage expenses or utility expenses for homeowners.

 

SC Stay Plus will NOT cover rent or utilities for renters in Anderson, Berkeley, Charleston, Greenville, Horry, Richland, and Spartanburg counties unless there are funds remaining after obligating funds to all other eligible residents in the state. Renters in these counties should contact their county offices to apply for rental assistance.

 

Renters may apply for the program online. You may also complete an application over the phone at 803-336-3420 or toll free at 1-800-476-0412.

 

Please visit their website for more detailed information.

The Allstate Foundation

The Allstate Foundation is a group of dedicated people who are focused on helping people and communities take action for a better future. One of the core areas they focus on is ending Domestic Violence. They empower abuse survivors with tools to achieve financial independence and educate young people about healthy relationships to help stop abuse before it starts.

 

This foundation provides survivors with the education and resources needed to achieve their potential again. The curriculum they use is called the Moving Ahead Curriculum. It is a five module program academically validated and is designed to help Domestic Violence survivors achieve financial independence and rebuild their lives. Topics in the curriculum include budgeting, managing debt, improving credit and has been proven to help survivors move from short term safety to long term security. This curriculum is available online and for download.

 

For more information and access to the Moving Ahead Curriculum please visit their website at www.allstatefoundation.org

* Last Updated June 2022