Community Assistance Provider

What it reported doing in 2024

Our overriding strategy is to assist families to build wealth through education and homeownership, i.e. Aquiring an appreciating asset our bi- lingual staff educates potential homeowners by providing homebuyer training with an emphasis on finanical benefits and responsibilities of homeownership. We have also made a significant investment in quality rental units that server our purpose of providing a safe, decent housing while allowing us to create homeowners, as our renters gain financial strength to be future homebuyers. We provide supporting services and training at our rental complexes. In addition, we manage our owner occupied rehabilitation program in the impoverished rural areas we serve. We find that mainly elderly, disabled and very low-income citizens have no funds to maintain the home and live without decent (indoor) plumbing and heating in order to continue to live in the home that they made sacrifices to own. In many of these rural communities we are the only resource available to restore the home to safety and decency standards that many americans take for granted. Our programs have led to the creation of 15-20 new homeowners from the low income community every year since 2002. In partnerhsip with scs housing home, richland county home, lexington county home and the city of columbia home funds, our owner-occupied rehab specialist has created over 100 housing rehabilitiation projects for elderly and disabled low-income citizens each year since 2002. Our apartment complexes - dillon place, sequoia place, patterson place, sloan place, zion place, carrington place, and ridge terrace - help to assure the availability of safe, decent and affordable low-income housing in the columbia and lexington, sc area. Supporting services are provided in an effort to lead residents to homeownership and other economic opportunities. Community assistance provider also owns and manages over eighty single family homes throughout richland and lexington county, sc, which provide much needed affordable rentals in very nice communities. Currently the organization has two full-time counselors who provide foreclose prevention, counseling and access to to South Carolina's federally funded mortgage help program. Through schelp, which the organization has funded through 2017, has enabled the organization to assist 400 families to remain in their homes. Community assistance provider has also constructed over thirty homes for sale to modest income families. We have received our first gold leed certified units which utilizes geothermal heating and air conditioning which saves signficant dollars for the resident. In 2010, the organization received the national housing assistance council's thrive award. In 2011, the organization received South Carolina association of comunity development corporation's eagle award as the highest performing cdc of the year. In 2013, the organization received the "creative housing in development" award form the South Carolina state housing authority.

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 95.9%; rating input score 96
• Program expense ratio: 97.7%; rating input score 98
• Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: Limited
• Foreign activity oversight: Limited
• Grant itemization coverage: Limited
• Major donor itemization: Limited
• Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

• Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
• Governance controls: 5 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 71
  • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
  • Whistleblower policy: Pass
  • Document-retention policy: Pass
  • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
  • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
  • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
  • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
  • Audit committee oversight: Missing
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

• Operating margin: 1.9%; rating input score 42; 42nd percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 7.67; rating input score 90; 90th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.55; rating input score 14; 14th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 81; 81st percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: -1.1% per year; rating input score 0; 14th percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: -0.7% per year; rating input score 0; 12th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 2.9% per year; rating input score 100; 29th percentile among comparable filings