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State expands home-modification program after HUD grant; department cites $604,000 spent on 30 homes and estimated $13 million saving
Summary
The Department on Aging described a home-stabilization program that began with a HUD grant and now runs statewide. Officials said 30 homes received work costing $604,000 (up to $5,000 per home) and that the department estimates substantial nursing-home-cost avoidance.
Columbia — At an oversight hearing on Oct. 12, the South Carolina Department on Aging described a home-stabilization program that began with a HUD minor modification grant and has been expanded statewide using state funding.
"This award was for a three-year grant in October of 2021," the department’s presenter said, describing the HUD program that funded low-cost home repairs and adaptations to keep older adults safe at home. "We were able to complete 30 homes that cost $604,000."
Department staff said occupational therapists assess every home and that modifications are typically low-cost: improving lighting, removing tripping hazards, and installing grab bars. The department said it spends up to $5,000 per home.
Officials explained the HUD grant originally limited eligibility (for example, to homeowners age 62 and older and to certain geographic constraints). Running the program through the state allows the department to serve all 46 counties, set the eligibility at age 60 and older, and to help some residents who do not own their homes but otherwise qualify.
The department told the committee that the completed HUD-funded work on 30 homes cost $604,000 and that, based on the department’s estimates, avoiding a relatively small number of nursing-home placements produced a large cost-avoidance figure. At the hearing the presenter summarized the department’s estimate as an approximate $13,000,000 cost savings to the state compared with potential nursing-home costs for the same group over one year.
Senators asked whether the HUD-funded portion of the program is at risk because of federal grant freezes; the department clarified the HUD award had ended and the state-run continuation is funded locally, so the prior HUD award itself is not at immediate risk from current federal actions.
The committee requested additional documentation on the program’s cost-benefit calculations and on the department’s plan to sustain or scale the state-run home-stabilization program.
