The South Carolina State Housing Finance and Development Authority (SC Housing) has released the preliminary application scoring for the 2025 Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) cycle. While two self-scored applications have been submitted in northern Beaufort County, no applications were submitted in Southern Beaufort County or Jasper County—continuing a troubling pattern of underrepresentation in the state’s most important affordable housing funding program.
View the preliminary scoring list here: 2025 LIHTC Preliminary Application Scoring PDF
It is important to note that these preliminary applications are self-scored and non-binding—they may or may not move forward for final consideration when the full application deadline arrives at the end of May 2025. Still, the absence of applications in Southern Beaufort County and Jasper County and the uncertainty around the submissions in Beaufort underscore deeper challenges within the current system.
The LIHTC program remains the largest and most impactful funding mechanism for producing income-restricted rental housing nationwide. Yet, the scoring structure outlined in South Carolina’s Qualified Allocation Plan (QAP) continues to favor larger metro areas or already-aligned development projects, leaving coastal and rural counties at a competitive disadvantage—even as local demand grows and affordability worsens.
At BJHT, we are working to change this narrative. The limited local participation is a call to action. It illustrates the urgent need for policy revisions that level the playing field—including targeted scoring incentives, rural set-asides, and a reexamination of county groupings within the QAP.
BJHT remains committed to ensuring that both state policy and public funding systems support affordable and workforce housing in every part of South Carolina, not just in the most urbanized or well-resourced regions.