County hears plan for 31-unit ‘St. Andrew’s Village’ as Homeless No More seeks closing and county mortgage

Homeless No More presented Lexington County council committees with a project overview for St. Andrew’s Village, a 31-unit hybrid housing campus that the nonprofit said will combine emergency, transitional-style housing with on-site supportive services and a licensed childcare facility.

"Our mission is basically to create an environment for homeless and at risk families with children to maximize their potential and move them towards independent lives," said the presenter for Homeless No More. The organization described the model as "programs first," requiring case management and life-skills classes for participating families.

The presentation included a site plan with walking trails and green space, a licensed child-care center to be run under contract by Bright Horizons, and a small-market footprint intended to provide fresh groceries to residents and the surrounding neighborhood. Homeless No More said the facility will have 24-hour staff and security, and that closing on the acquisition was scheduled for the 27th of the month; staff reported acquisition funds were already in the bank.

Presenter materials showed total development costs just under $12,000,000 and listed financing sources and uses. Homeless No More said Lexington County would assume the first mortgage on the building and that construction and rehab quotes had been developed with Montgomery Construction; Garvin Design Group is the architectural firm on the project. The presenter said all funding for acquisition, renovation and construction had been secured "as guaranteed as they can be considering we don't have ownership of the property yet," and that the nonprofit serves as the developer and construction manager under HUD procurement rules.

Committee members asked for clarification about developer fees and budgets; the presenter said nonprofit developers typically recognize about 4% of the total budget as developer fee and noted HUD bidding rules limit what the nonprofit may earn. The presenter said closing and contracting matters were the subject of an earlier executive session request: the committee had moved into executive session for a contract negotiation concerning the Home American Rescue Plan program known as Homeless No More under South Carolina Code section 30-4-70(a)(2).

No formal procurement decision or final contract award was recorded in committee following the presentation; presenters said next steps include completing closing, finalizing construction bids under HUD requirements, and returning with required contract paperwork and any budget amendments if county funds are used for mortgage or operating transfers.