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Regional housing trust outlines grants, loans and barriers to scaling home repair and workforce housing
Summary
Claude Hicks of the Beaufort Jasper Housing Trust presented funding activity and regional goals, citing a $500,000 loan to Carrington Manor, $619,000 in home-repair grants, $364,000 for homebuyer assistance, and $600,000 to CCDC (about $300,000 deployed). Hicks described regulatory and capacity barriers to scaling state programs.
Claude Hicks, appearing for the Beaufort Jasper Housing Trust, told the Housing Action Committee on Dec. 9 that the regional trust’s mission is to create and preserve workforce and affordable housing across Beaufort and Jasper counties and explained both recent funding actions and barriers to rapid expansion.
Hicks defined workforce housing as anything up to 120% of area median income (AMI) and affordable housing as 60% AMI. He cited regional figures including an example that at 100% AMI in Beaufort County median family income is about $106,400. "No housing equals no workers, equals no economic development, equals no community," Hicks said, summarizing the trust’s rationale.
Hicks listed recent trust investments and grants: a $500,000 loan program for Carrington Manor (a LIHTC senior facility), $619,000 in grant funding for home repairs, $364,000 in first-time homebuyer assistance and a $600,000 grant routed to CCDC, about $300,000 of which has been deployed and has helped purchase roughly 13 homes to be rented at affordable rates. He said the state also mailed a $3,000,000 check to the trust tied to the regional approach.
Hicks described challenges in accessing and administering state home repair funds: the trust completed a 120-page application and was approved only to sponsor two homes initially while the state evaluates capacity. "It was a brutal process... We got approval. We are looking for our first two homes that we are going to put up to $75,000 each," Hicks said. He cautioned that the state’s application and administrative requirements limit how quickly partners can scale programs and noted reliance on public-private partnerships to marshal funds and build projects.
Committee members asked about representation on the trust and coordination with nearby jurisdictions; Hicks said Hilton Head had not yet assigned a board representative and that regional coordination continues. He described partnerships with local groups including Habitat and Deepwell and encouraged continued local participation in the trust’s initiatives.
Hicks’s presentation provided context for the committee as it considers local projects and potential funding paths, and highlighted both funds already in play and procedural obstacles to quickly widening the trust’s impact.
