Charleston’s reputation for hospitality and tourism draws visitors and also high-dollar real estate ventures from across the globe.
But as space dwindles and square footage prices rise, locals and lower-income residents are left at risk of being priced out of the Lowcountry economy.
Monitoring the Charleston region’s housing situation are three housing authorities: the Housing Authority of the City of Charleston, the Charleston County Housing and Redevelopment Authority and the North Charleston Housing Authority.
What does housing look like in Charleston County?
Since 2000, Charleston’s population has grown 50%, a number that really hasn’t been met with corresponding infrastructure upgrades. When so many people are moving into the area in a relatively short period of time, the demand for necessities like new roads, housing and jobs rise quicker than they can be produced, experts say.
Money managers often suggest renters spend about 30% of their monthly income on housing, which is $1,991 at fair market average in Charleston County, according to an infographic by the Charleston housing authorities. But the average rent in Charleston is $2,771, roughly 56.9% of the average monthly salary.
The population and average rent are not the only factors pushing more people into affordable housing qualification.
“The increased cost of ownership and property taxes are placing financial pressure on current and potential landlords. Many of whom are responding by increasing rents,” Quiana Abney, North Charleston Housing Authority executive director, said in an email. “This, combined with the growing gap between household incomes and the overall cost of living, makes it difficult for working families to secure and maintain stable housing.”
Through the three Charleston housing authorities, there are about 4,200 affordable housing properties for a population of 424,367 . According to the infographic, the county has almost 2,000 people on awaiting list to receive housing aid.
Nonprofits and government agencies can’t keep up with demand and pricing
Metanoia, a nonprofit housing developer in North Charleston, has spent the past 20 years building, renovating and repairing homes for affordable rates. Most homes the nonprofit develops are single-family detached homes, as well as one apartment complex with eight units.
Bill Stanfield, founder and CEO of Metanoia, said Metanoia struggles with constraints on density combined with the influx of people moving into Charleston.
“Groups like us can do some things to help a little bit,” Stanfield said. “We are building more than we have built before, but we are not even scratching the surface of what’s needed in the region, which is units in the thousands rather than the tens.”
Stanfield said if you go back 30 years , affordable housing was for people living on a much lower economic spectrum. As prices rise, more people find themselves in the affordable housing bracket.
“There was more of a perception of affordable housing or attainable housing being for folks who were vulnerable,” Stanfield said. “But I think that’s going away because when the median house price in Charleston County is over a half million dollars, a lot of people are recognizing, ‘Oh, I never thought of myself as an affordable or attainable home buyer, but I guess I am.’”
In addition to Metanoia, close to 30 nonprofits in Charleston County are dedicated to supporting affordable housing.
The U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development, also known as HUD, recently implemented the Small Area Fair Market Rents program intended to help housing authorities in metropolitan and rural areas better assist their communities, Abney said in an email.
While Lowcountry areas like Summerville and downtown Charleston benefitted from the program, Abney said North Charleston, which has 40% of the county’s affordable housing stock, saw a decrease in the payment standards it can offer for each applicant.
From local government, Charleston County has four options of housing aid: the Housing Choice Voucher Program, the Rental Assistance Demonstration, Public Housing, and Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing, according to the infographic.
Charleston has also announced upcoming renovation projects to include affordable and attainable housing options over the next few years such as Union Pier in downtown Charleston and Navy Yard in North Charleston.
For Arthur Milligan, president and CEO of the Housing Authority of the City of Charleston, the diversity and economic variety of people in a neighborhood are part of the key to its success.
“What we’re seeing is that successful neighborhoods tend to have people that are doing different things, different incomes, different jobs, and so forth. It makes a community,” Milligan said. “When you have everybody doing the same thing and living the same way in one place, that sometimes becomes a problem.”
CHARLESTON — The city’s housing authority has purchased a 209-unit apartment complex in West Ashley, describing the $39.75 million deal as an opportunity to preserve “naturally-occurring” affordable rental housing.
“The thought was that if we didn’t buy it, another investor might and could price people out of there,” said housing authority Chief Financial Officer Jeremy Erling.
In the past decade investors have been buying up apartments in West Ashley — just the sort of thing that prompted the housing authority’s concerns. The authority’s purchase of the 1800 Ashley West complex won’t turn those apartments into public housing or lower the rents, but with no tax bills or profit motive the authority could keep the rents from rising as they might have with a private owner.
“We’re trying to make some moves where people could look back 20 years from now and say, ‘that was a really great acquisition’,” said Erling.
This year the previous owners of the complex paid $23,520 in property taxes, according to county records, and that’s an expense the housing authority won’t face.
However, rents are expected to rise at 1800 Ashley West by about five percent, after the housing authority spends money to renovate the apartments, Erling said. That would take the average rents up to $1,449 for a one-bedroom apartment and $1,714 for a two bedroom, which fits the city’s guidelines for workforce housing rent.
Workforce housing is a term used to describe homes people with moderate incomes can afford by spending no more than 30 percent of their income. For rentals, the standard is based on earning up to 80 percent of an area’s median income, which works out to $62,100 this year for a single person in Charleston County.
The 1800 Ashley West complex is located off William Kennerty Drive, next to the C.E. Williams Middle School North Campus, and has one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments. It’s adjacent to Ashley Oaks, an apartment complex roughly twice as large that the authority previously bought.
“Anytime we can increase the inventory of affordable housing, I’m for it,” said city Councilman Keith Waring, who represents the area in West Ashley where the apartment complex is located. “If we can increase the stock and bring down market rate housing it’s a benefit to our community.”
The authority owns low-income housing, mostly on the Charleston peninsula, but also about 1,100 apartments that are not government-subsidized and are meant to rent at slightly below-market rates. More than half of those apartments are near S.C. Highway 61, in Ashley Oaks and 1800 Ashley West.
Capt. Tonatte Mitchell Joins Septima P. Clark Foundation Board
Charleston Police Department leader to help advance education and community programs.
Charleston, S.C. (Aug. 11, 2025)—The Charleston Housing Authority (CHA) is proud to share that Capt. Tonatte Mitchell of the Charleston Police Department has been appointed to the board of directors of the Septima P. Clark Foundation, a nonprofit affiliated with CHA and dedicated to advancing education and community programs across the Charleston area.
Capt. Mitchell serves as division commander of the Office of Community-Oriented Policing and is the first Black woman to be promoted to captain within the department. Her distinguished career has been marked by a commitment to mentorship, relationship-building and equity in law enforcement. Her leadership and dedication to community engagement make her a meaningful addition to the Foundation’s board.
“Capt. Mitchell’s appointment reflects our shared commitment with the Charleston Police Department to build strong, resilient neighborhoods,” said Art Milligan Jr., CEO of CHA. “Her voice and perspective will help further the Foundation’s mission and continue Ms. Clark’s legacy.”
In accordance with the Septima P. Clark Foundation’s bylaws, three of the board’s five directors are appointed by the CHA Board of Commissioners. In June, the Board reappointed directors Kathy Nelson, CHA’s resident commissioner, and Aris Ferguson, CHA’s legal counsel, who has served on the board since 2021. Together with Director Sharon Wigfall, who currently serves as president, the three reappointed members selected and invited Capt. Mitchell to join the board.
Founded by CHA in 1996, the foundation honors the values and vision of civil rights leader and educator Septima P. Clark by supporting community-focused initiatives. This includes managing applications and selections for the Cynthia Graham Hurd Memorial Scholarship. This CHA-funded award uplifts local students through access to educational resources and recognition of civic leadership. Hurd was a former CHA commissioner and a victim of the Mother Emanuel shooting. The scholarship was established to honor her service and legacy.
“The Septima P. Clark Foundation is a very special organization, honoring the lives of two incredible women, Mrs. Clark and Mrs. Hurd,” shares Ferguson. “To be a part of carrying forward their legacy is humbling and something that all board members cherish.”
“Having Capt. Mitchell joining us is wonderful and will only help to strengthen our connections between public safety and public housing efforts while advancing inclusive programs that empower Charleston residents of all ages.”
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About Housing Authority of the City of Charleston
Established on May 5, 1935, the Housing Authority of the City of Charleston (CHA) is celebrating 90 years of providing decent, safe, sanitary and affordable housing for low- and moderate-income residents in Charleston. Governed by seven commissioners appointed by the Mayor and City Council. CHA manages daily operations, supporting nearly 1,400 public housing households across the city and more than 1,500 participants in the Housing Choice Voucher Program who live in privately owned residences. CHA is committed to strengthening the Charleston community through reliable housing solutions and supportive services. For more information, visit https://www.chacity.org/.
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CHARLESTON — A transformative plan to replace most low-income public housing on the peninsula with thousands of mixed-income apartments has grown to include the Gadsden Green complex.
It’s the largest Charleston Housing Authority site on the peninsula. Along with two other complexes, the buildings slated for demolition cover 39.9 downtown acres.
That’s nearly two-thirds the size of the Union Pier site on the Charleston Harbor, a property the State Ports Authority is selling for $250 million to launch as a private redevelopment.
The value of CHA’s land and the demand for rental housing are key aspects of the plan. A single acre of land on the peninsula can sell for millions of dollars, so the authority’s ownership of nearly 40 acres helps make the finances work.
The goal is to replace about 500 low-income apartments — some built nearly a century ago — with much more rental housing for people of all incomes. There would be at least as many low-income apartments, and possibly 2,000 additional rentals at “workforce” or market-rate rents, along with retail space.
The housing authority has been assuring tenants they will not be displaced but will become residents of far superior housing in the same location when it’s all done.
550 Meeting Street.
Charleston, SC 29403
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