Housing Authority of Cheraw History
The Housing Authority of Cheraw was created pursuant to the authority of the United States Housing Act of 1937 and the Constitution and statues of the State of South Carolina, Codes of Law, and was organized on May 14, 1968.
We are the "Housing Agency" for the Town of Cheraw, charged with providing decent, safe, sanitary and affordable housing to our low-income citizens, with financial aid primarily from the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Governed by Federal, State, and local laws, ordinances, and regulations, this agency is administered by a Board of Commissioners appointed by the Mayor and City Council.
The Board of Commissioners is comprised of five persons designated to govern the Housing Authority. Their purpose is to adopt the policies, act on financial matters of the Authority, and provide direction and guidance to the Executive Director.
Our first board was appointed to serve effective May 14, 1968, and was as follows:
- R. L. McPherson, Chairman
- Rev. Fred Harris
- Rev. Charles Talley
- Edward Sweatt
- Mrs. John Justice, Sr.
During the time from our inception in 1968 until February 11, 1980, details are limited due to a fire destroying document files. Since February 11, 1980, we have been managed by the Housing Authority of Florence through a management agreement.
Currently, we own/manage:
- 230 public housing units
- 180 HCV
- 28 Section 8 New Construction
Manage property throughout the town of Cheraw/town of Chesterfield/Chesterfield County.
The primary goals and objectives of the Board, the Executive Director and staff are to establish and preserve a suitable living environment for persons of low income in the Cheraw/Chesterfield area, and other areas into which it may be invited to operate, by providing and by assisting in the provision of a variety of safe, decent and affordable housing opportunities; To promote and encourage, through education and other forms of constructive assistance, self-help programs which will assist in the development of resident self-sufficiency; To improve the safety, health, morals and welfare of the community by undertaking and promoting and cooperating with private developers and other governmental entities in the development of appropriate projects. Unlike a manufacturing firm or a commercial business, our "product" cannot be measured in price or quantity. Quality is the sole measurable ingredient in public housing, and "service" is our yardstick. We must be responsive to our residents' needs, diligent in our maintenance efforts, and, above all, humane in our relationship with everyone.
You now have insight into the Housing Authority. Our job is not an easy one. In order for us to have any success at all, we must be able to envision the "whole picture." Cooperation, planning, and, above all, common sense are the factors that will determine the degree of success we enjoy. We must not only be professional in our work but humane as well.
Dizzy Gillespie, born in Cheraw, South Carolina... died January 6, 1993, in Englewood, New Jersey. Jazz trumpeter, composer, and bandleader who was one of the seminal figures of the bebop movement.
