Claude Hicks, executive director of the Beaufort Jasper Housing Trust, told the regional planning committee the trust is working to “create and preserve affordable housing” and urged local governments to consider new tools and funding to speed repairs and new construction.

The trust, a nonprofit regional consortium representing municipalities and counties, asked that Beaufort and Jasper counties consider dedicating a share of local real-estate tax receipts into a locally administered home-repair fund. Hicks said the trust has qualified for the state home-repair program and is proposing that “if you could just put county represent 20% of real estate sales and taxes going into that fund...we will put it throughout the [counties] to home repair needs.”

Why it matters: Hicks framed the request as part of a larger affordability crisis. He cited national and state statistics — including an estimate that the country needs 5.5 to 6.8 million more homes over the next decade — and described local cost burdens: he said roughly 57% of renters in the local MSA pay more than 30% of their income for housing. Hicks also described a state-level change to the low-income housing tax credit qualified allocation plan that had previously penalized projects in Jasper County and said that change remains insufficient to meet local demand.

Details of the trust’s work: Hicks outlined three finance platforms the trust uses: creation (new construction), preservation (keeping existing homes affordable) and direct assistance for first-time homebuyers. He said the trust has provided gap financing for projects, has placed $500,000 into a senior housing project and has funded first-time buyer and home-repair grants. On internal lending, Hicks said the trust is already providing loans and gaps on a project-by-project basis but “we're just not being able to do it on a scale that we want to.”

Home-repair program specifics: The trust reported it is the only entity in Jasper County currently qualified to administer repairs on homes built before 1978 under the state program. Hicks and a colleague described state application thresholds and two tiers of funding: a “critical repair” and a regular repair tier, and said household income limits apply (the transcript references a $75,000 income cap and a $35,000 critical-repair cap; the trust attributed these figures to the state program). The trust expects initial local repairs will be primarily interior work such as bathrooms, floors and windows.

Regulatory and tax incentives: Hicks urged municipalities to explore ways to reduce predevelopment costs and regulatory delays that increase interest and carrying costs for affordable housing projects. He cited examples used elsewhere — temporary tax exemptions, pilot tax abatement programs, and expedited review — as mechanisms that “dramatically helps affordable and workforce housing.” He said environmental and administrative requirements at the state level add significant costs.

Models and local examples: Hicks highlighted a 10-unit project in Hardeeville that combined donated land, fixed-price construction, Habitat for Humanity financing and developer concessions. He said nine of the 10 initial households were Hispanic service workers and described the project as replicable when local jurisdictions offer land or concessions. He also pointed to a modular-home demonstration (Clayton Homes) approved earlier in the week as an example of design and ordinance accommodation that worked locally.

Public-service and workforce impacts: Hicks and other speakers linked housing to workforce stability at the hospital and other employers, telling the committee that short-term contract nursing and other transient staff strain local services. He noted that some nursing and medical staff work short assignments and do not develop local community ties, which hospital leaders say affects patient care during peak seasons.

Questions and next steps: Committee members asked about whether the trust should lend directly or continue grants; Hicks said the board is weighing loans versus grants case-by-case and the trust already provides gap loans. The trust said it is working with Citi on structuring a local City of Beaufort fund and expects to launch an application process in the coming months. Hicks invited committee members to the trust’s September forum on workforce housing and said the trust will report back on the home-repair fund rollout and applicants after the first funding round.

Ending: Hicks encouraged continued regional cooperation and called on local elected officials and staff to consider policy changes to reduce fees, streamline approvals and, where feasible, provide land or tax incentives to attract private investment into affordable and workforce housing.