The Lowcountry Affordable Housing Forum took place in November at The Technical College of the Lowcountry’s (TCL) Culinary Institue of the South. The agenda took a deep dive into the affordable workforce housing crisis facing the region.
Dr. Laura Ullrich, Senior Regional Economist for the Federal Bank of Richmond, captivated the full house with a presentation about regional economic and housing trends. One of the most impactful slides illustrated the fact that a median income family has not been able to purchase a median income home in the Hilton Head MSA (without spending more than 30% of their income) in over 20 years.
Two informative panel discussions were held. The first panel, moderated by TCL’s Vice-President for Institutional Advancement and Workforce Development, Mary Lee Carns, focused on local policies on managing growth while maintianing housing affordability. Panel members were Mayors Alan Perry (HHI), Phil Cromer (Beaufort), and Harry Williams (Hardeeville), and Beaufort County Council member (now newly elected Chairwoman) Alice Howard.
The second panel, “Removing Barriers to Workforce Housing” moderated by WSAV-TV Anchor Andrew Davis, was held with regional developers Kevin Connelly and Ray Nix, plus Tiffany Santagati from the Greenville Housing Fund.
Claude Hicks, Executive Director of the Beaufort-Jasper Housing Trust, closed out the event with an interactive discussion.
Two informative panel discussions were held
Our Executive Director closed out the event
