Beaufort Co. plans to close human services department. Here’s what they said
Beaufort County is planning to close its Human Services Department while keeping its programs, raising questions about why the department would close if its services will continue.
The department is scheduled to phase out of its current form after the fiscal year ends June 30, county administrator Michael Moore confirmed Wednesday. Its programs are scheduled to move over to Nexus Care, the former alcohol and drug department, unless council members decide to make additional changes.
The proposal, Moore said, is part of a 2025 county initiative aimed at modestly reducing millage while maintaining public services. Human Services is one of the county’s smallest departments, with only five total employees. The current budget sets aside $634,000 to the department, most of which goes toward salaries.
The administrator indicated that, aside from standard reclassification, restructuring for other county departments was currently “not on the table.”
Human services employees have been notified of the changes to their positions, Moore said. Some will lose their jobs and others are expected to move to another department. The county is still “early on” in the process, he said, and the proposal will only take effect if County Council adopts the budget.
Questions remain about why the county is shutting down the human services program if it intends to keep the same programs under another department’s roof. Moore said more details would be shared during the Feb. 9 council meeting, months before final decisions need to be made regarding the budget.
County spokesperson Hannah Nichols said conversations about next fiscal year’s budget started months ago in October, so the timing of the proposal is not out of the ordinary.
Human Service’s mission is to make sure people who need help get it. It runs two programs, one for the homeless and one for other types of complex life challenges. Neither provides direct aid, serving instead as a resource to help people find aid from other resources.
In addition, it has also administrated nearly $400,000 in county-funded grants to local nonprofits that serve community well-being every year since 2013.
Decisions about grantees and dollar amounts given to them are made by an anonymous committee put together by the department, according to Nichols.
The county intends to keep its services, including the grant program, intact under Nexus Care. Some council members have raised questions about whether the county should be allocating taxpayer dollars toward these organizations.
“It’s up to the public to decide to donate. I don’t believe they pay property tax to tell the county to decide how to donate to nonprofits,” Vice Chair Tab Tabernik said.
When reached for comment, Human Services’ Department Director Ben Boswell deferred questions about the department’s future to the county’s spokesperson.
When asked if the county had directed department employees not to speak publicly about the changes to their department, Nichols firmly denied it, saying employees were only asked to be respectful of the notification process.
Nichols said she was not aware of any performance concerns surrounding the department that led to the proposed change.
This story was originally published February 6, 2026 at 10:48 AM.
