HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. () — Hilton Head Island is facing a growing workforce housing crisis.

Six years after early warnings, the island still struggles to find lasting solutions.

Two longtime volunteers from the Housing Board have resigned and two members of the staff connected to the issue have also stepped down.

“We know the demand for housing and rents is more than what’s available, and whether it’s 1000, 2000 or 14,000, it seems to me, unless we start taking steps forward, we will continue to walk backwards,” Lisa Sturdevant, a housing consultant brought in by the town in 2019, told News 3’s Andrew Davis.

Sturdevant said Hilton head needed 2,000 units of workforce housing then. The number the town has built since then is zero.

Only one project has even started, and Northpoint is more than a year away from opening.

“Town actions on important housing matters are painfully slow and repeatedly delayed,” Jack Alderman, the former chairman of the Hilton Head Island Housing Action Committee said. “And housing action committees are without the means to expedite them.”

Alderman gave a speech earlier this week as he resigned as chair of the Housing Action Committee.

He and fellow board member Sandie West each said, in the two years since the board was created, nothing has been accomplished. And no changes seem to be on the horizon.

“Perhaps forming the Housing Action Committee was a mistake from the start.” West said. “Clearly, some members of Town Council do not consider this a key issue or key priority, despite the negative impact on our community’s quality of life. For me, HAC, without real commitment, wastes everyone’s time and it damages the town’s reputation.”

In addition to their departures, Quincy White, the chief housing officer hired in January of 2024, is also leaving.

While the town would not comment on White’s departure, it issued this statement to News 3:

“Our collective goal is to improve quality of life on the Island for our residents and visitors and to help our businesses thrive; we realize that high-quality workforce housing options are a part of achieving that goal.”

In light of what has been happening, the town has added housing to the discussion points for the upcoming council meeting on Tuesday, May 20.

They invited the public to attend and express their opinions on what has happened so far and what should happen next.