Hi, I’m Kate, the Island Packet’s new workforce reporter. I want to hear from you.
Dear Packet readers,
Hi! My name is Kate Hidalgo Bellows, and I am one of the Island Packet’s two Report for America reporting fellows. I am so excited to be joining this team and the Lowcountry community.
As a fellow, I will be covering workforce and livability issues here in Beaufort County and the surrounding areas. With the Lowcountry economy powered by tourism, many locals work in the accommodations, food services, and retail industries and face low wages, high rates of turnover, job insecurity and long commutes. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated all of these issues, with unemployment in the Hilton Head-Bluffton-Beaufort metropolitan area skyrocketing from 2.7 percent in March to 11.5 percent in April, according to a community profile from the South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce.
And despite the proximity to the beach, the coastal lifestyle is not a reality for all who call the Lowcountry home. According to a 2018 housing needs assessment of Beaufort County, affordable housing is limited in the area and housing authority waitlists for vouchers and tax credits to live in subsidized housing are long. According to the report, of those who rent their homes in Beaufort County, 47.4 percent are cost burdened, paying 30 percent or more of their income towards housing costs, and 19.6 percent are severely cost burdened, paying more than 50 percent.
I am here to dive into those issues, engage with the people they affect and examine the actions of those in power. I want to look into the difficulties workers face with an emphasis on potential solutions, including lessons to be learned from other communities tackling similar issues. I am excited to report on the ground and meet the folks who make the Lowcountry what it is.
But I need your help.
If you have a story you feel is important for me to look into or report on, let me know. Don’t have a story but want to connect? Reach out. I am here to listen. If you would prefer to communicate with me in Spanish (or know someone who would prefer to communicate with me in Spanish), feel free to contact me in Spanish or refer someone else to me in Spanish. Si preferiria comunicar en Espanol (o conoces a una persona que preferiria comunicar en Espanol), puedas contactarte conmigo en Espanol or referir a alguien mas a mi en Espanol.
I can be reached by email at kbellows@islandpacket.com. I also invite you to fill out this short form about your experience with workforce and livability issues — and related topics, including housing, transportation, public works and criminal justice — in the Beaufort County area. I am a strong believer in the public service role of local journalism, and it helps me best fulfill this role if I know what issues my community finds most pressing.
In the meantime, I would like to give you a quick preview of a few of the issues I am looking into.
COVID-19 pandemic — What have been the effects of the pandemic on low-wage workers, many of whom have been furloughed from their jobs with no end in sight?
Inequity and Inequality — How are workforce and livability problems amplified by racial, ethnic and/or economic inequities in education, housing, criminal justice, work, financial resources and so on?
Supports — What community nonprofits, government agencies, private donors and other entities are helping support those in need? What pressures do they face?
Solutions — What solutions have been proposed by local leaders to assist workers in and around Beaufort County in such areas as commuting to work, finding and keeping jobs, finding affordable housing and staying healthy? What has worked and what hasn’t? What shows promise?
If I’m missing something, let me know. I look forward to getting to know you!
