Hilton Head Island housing committee approves revised displacement response plan, sends it to town council

The Housing Action Committee on Hilton Head Island voted 6-2 on May 14 to approve a revised Housing Displacement Mitigation Support Plan and recommend it to town council.

The plan, revised after review by work groups and community partners, clarifies that "upon receiving information about a displacement event, the town will notify the lead partner who would then coordinate and lead the targeted response," said Quincy, a town staff member presenting the revisions. The document now frames the response as community-led and removes town insignia to emphasize partner coordination, staff said.

The nut of the debate centered on whether the town was abdicating responsibility by limiting its role to notification and coordination. "It's like, you know, why are we even doing this? Because the town is basically absolving itself of any responsibility," a committee member said during discussion. Committee members representing local nonprofits pushed back, saying the revised plan formalizes a coalition that did heavy lifting in recent displacements.

Sandy Gillis moved to approve and forward the plan; Sarah Jones Anderson seconded the motion. Missy Lueck, director of planning, urged the committee to focus on the document's contents and recommended making a formal recommendation to town council: "The recommendation before you today is to review this revised plan and make a recommendation to town council." Sean Lanninger, assistant town manager, explained that council-level process and committee referral are at the mayor's discretion once council receives the recommendation.

Community partners and nonprofit representatives described operational gaps the plan does not yet solve: insufficient short-term shelter options and limited funding. One nonprofit representative said their agency's bills from a recent displacement exceeded $15,000 and that the coalition's existing fund is not large enough to cover a major event. Town staff and partners repeatedly said additional work and resources are needed if a large-scale displacement occurs.

The committee voted to forward the revised plan to town council for further action. The committee also discussed whether the plan should instead be advanced unchanged from an earlier version; the committee ultimately voted to send the revised version. The motion passed 6 in favor and 2 opposed.

The plan defines a seven-step response structure and retools a voluntary questionnaire into a template for partner use. Committee members and staff said the structure aims to assemble a community response team so individuals facing displacement do not have to navigate multiple agencies.

Next steps: the Housing Action Committee will forward its recommendation to town council; the mayor and council will determine whether the plan is referred to a council committee or placed directly before full council.