Committee reviews $450,000 FY2027 neighborhood assistance budget, narrows RFP field for local affordable housing project

The Neighborhood Assistance Program Committee heard a budget and program update and an affordable-housing request-for-proposals report during its meeting.

Staff told the committee that the town council approved a $450,000 fiscal year 2027 allocation for the Neighborhood Assistance Program and that, as of the meeting, no funds from the new fiscal year had yet been spent. "Town council approved the 2027 fiscal year budget for the neighborhood assistance program at 450,000," staff said.

The committee received a multi-year program review showing total expenditures from 2020 to 2026 of $1,810,000 and a record of 244 household projects assisted. Staff said home repairs accounted for about "94, almost 95%" of program spending and that annual spending rose from about $66,000 in 2020 to a notably higher level by 2026; home repair assistance increased from eight homes in 2020 to 36 in 2026.

Staff described program operations and outreach: income verification is handled by LCOP for a $10 fee per application, and much outreach has relied on referrals, local churches and partner agencies rather than door-to-door canvassing. Committee members asked about bilingual outreach and cost-effective ways to reach eligible households; staff said they would explore piggybacking informational mailings on existing town publications and coordinating with local churches and community partners.

On the affordable-housing procurement, staff said the RFP for the "115 Love and Grow" project closed on June 11 with seven proposals. The review committee identified four finalists to invite for oral presentations the week of July 20; the committee expects to review those finalists at its August meeting and to forward a recommendation to town council in September. Staff characterized the proposals as varying widely in AMI ranges, unit counts and formats (apartment and townhome styles) and noted that at least two submissions involved local partners, including a proposal tied to Jasper Housing Trust and one submitted by CCDC with a local group in Hilton Head.

Staff summarized the ranges reported in proposals as received in the meeting record: AMI ranges submitted in the seven proposals spanned roughly 20% to 120% AMI, unit counts ranged from about 80 to 330 units, and two proposals included rent ranges that the transcript recorded as "$7.65 to $2,000." Staff did not clarify during the meeting whether the lower figure was a transcription error; committee members did not press for a numeric correction during the discussion.

Public comment at the start of the meeting included Carol Oster, who identified herself as a recent Beaufort County resident with a background in affordable housing, and Rashad Rivers, who said he formed an LLC, Tyler Rise Development Group, to provide local project-management services and to vet local contractors for affordable and workforce housing projects. "Tyler Rise Development Group is a Bluffton based project management firm that manages affordable and workforce housing," Rivers said.

Votes at a glance • Motion to accept minutes from 06/04/2026 — mover: Committee member (speaker 6); second: Committee member (speaker 7); outcome: approved (chair called for 'Aye' and the motion passed).

What’s next Staff will contact the four finalists to schedule oral presentations during the week of July 20, present the finalists to the committee in August, and anticipate sending a recommendation to town council in September. Committee members also discussed coordinating site visits to completed local projects and making connections between finalists and local contractors.