New affordable housing coming to Two Notch at former Grand Motel

United Way of the Midlands and Homeless No More announced the development of Grand Village, a new housing development that is replacing Grand Motel and Apartments on Two-Notch Road.  

Grand Village will provide 40 affordable housing units that are two and three bedroom homes for families with children. Homeless No More said Grand Village is an innovative approach to bringing quality, beautiful design with affordability and a sense of community in mind. 

“The range of income eligibility allows this new housing to serve as a launch pad for working families to improve their economic security,” said Lila Anna Sauls, Ed.D., president and CEO of Homeless No More. “The design is based on the history of the motel and the famous sign, as it’s been a fixture in the neighborhood for decades.” 

The gated community will use innovative design, serving as a new gateway to the Two Notch and Beltline corridor. On-site services are provided by Homeless No More and other community partners and will include access to after-school and mentoring programs, plus healthy cooking and employment advancement classes. 

The development of Grand Village complements one of United Way of the Midlands’  goals of increasing options for quality housing through one-time seed funding. 

“We know the Midlands lacks an estimated 50,000 units of attainable housing, and  United Way of the Midlands can’t solve our current housing crisis alone,” said Sara Fawcett, president and CEO of United Way of the Midlands. “So, we’re partnering with  organizations like Homeless No More and investing in our community’s capacity to  create attainable housing that is new and innovative, targeting people most in need.”

The $6.5 million project is supported by SC Community Loan Fund, Central Carolina Community Foundation, and Richland County. The Grand Village is expected to house its first residents by 2024. 

Funding supporting the partnership came from a gift of $10 million to  United Way of the Midlands from author and philanthropist MacKenzie Scott. According to United Way, it is the largest gift from an individual donor in the organization’s history. In 2021, United Way’s Board approved a spending plan for the gift, including significant investments in innovative housing across the six-county region. 

United Way of the Midlands works to identify and respond to the critical human service needs of Calhoun, Fairfield, Lexington, Newberry, Orangeburg and Richland counties. Funds are raised through workplace campaigns, grant writing and individual donations and are directed to creating generational change by breaking cycles of crisis and empowering people to build their own paths to success.

Homeless No More is a nonprofit organization that believes family homelessness is entirely solvable. Care services include emergency services, transitional shelter and the development of attainable housing to keep families together through permanent, self-sufficient solutions to eradicate family homelessness and help at-risk parents and their children achieve lasting independence.