Committee pauses adoption of displacement mitigation support plan after questions about town role and funding

Committee members voted 2-1 to deny adopting a draft displacement mitigation support plan and directed staff and the Housing Action Committee to decide where the document should reside, citing open questions about town involvement, funding and the scope of a proposed 29‑question voluntary questionnaire.

The vote came after a detailed presentation by Missy Lueg, director of planning for the Town of Hilton Head Island, who called the draft plan “a community‑led, initiative that provides support services to individuals and families that are facing displacement on Hilton Head Island.” Lueg said the plan assembles a Community Response Team, names DeepWell as an activation lead, and relies on private funding sources including the Community Foundation of the Lowcountry and the United Way of the Lowcountry.

The plan, Lueg said, is intended as a “playbook” that coordinates existing nonprofit and social‑service resources so residents facing sudden moves can be referred quickly to housing, employment, legal and other support.

Nut graf: Committee members and public speakers praised the plan’s goal to speed assistance for households at risk of losing housing, but several members said the draft left important operational and liability questions unanswered — chiefly how much direct town involvement was intended, whether use of a town logo or submission channel would discourage development, and who would control and administer the private displacement fund.

Committee discussion and public testimony

Housing Action Committee members and nonprofit leaders urged…