State housing program helped Oconeeans avoid foreclosure

Federal monies to help financially-strapped homeowners rebound from the Great Recession are credited with helping 88 Oconee County households avoid foreclosure.  Nearly $1.5 million of funds through the Treasury Department helped the homeowners stay in their homes.  The program is called South Carolina “HELP.”  Help stands for Homeownership and Employment Lending Program.  Since 2011, the program in South Carolina funded more than 12,000 eligible homeowners statewide.  The disbursements amounted to more than $200 million dollars.  It helped pay arrearages and provides monthly payments for a period of time while homeowners sought employment and a return to self-sustainability, among other assistance.  Clayton Ingram of SC HELP explains the program during this Sunday’s “Community Soundoff.”