Roundtable Alliance
Meeting Notes for 3/20/26
Present: Kara Moore, LCFB; Brooke Lampe, MUSC; Brandon Lilienthal, City of North Charleston; Shelby Joffrion, NCPD; Tia Lewis, Charleston Dorchester MHC; Ken Battle, EnVision; Dora Riley, The Formation Project: Abbie Boisvert, PCC, KaRebecca Hefley, Charleston Center; Juanita Bryant, MUSC; Jeff Yungman, Public Defender; Karen Thrower, City of North Charleston; Ellen Steinber, CJCC; Judith Pfaeiler, Holy City Mission; Lt. Todd Morgan, City of North Charleston Police; Shamekei Gray, City of North Charleston Police; Derrell Burrows, Get Out and Live; Suzanne Young, GTH.
Guest Speaker: Dr. Natasha Wright, MUSC-Project IMPACT
Dr. Wright shared the purpose of the Project IMPACT initiative and discussed the highlight’s of last year’s event. Several Roundtable members discussed their experience at the 2025 event and encouraged everyone to attend this year’s event in August. A flyer is attached with event details.
H. 4270 Update – Dr. Chuck Coward
Chuck shared with us that the bill had been by the subcommittee although they had removed the first section which addressed folks who have an eviction filed but are able to resolve the issue and are not evicted. Unfortunately, they could not get consensus on this part. The second part of the Bill focused on sealing evictions after 5 years did pass and will move on the full committee. It is worth noting that 4270 has a huge amount of bi-partisan support which is rare in our current political climate. Chuck will let Suzanne know when the hearing is scheduled and she will share with the group for anyone who wants to be in Columbia in person. Chuck also shared a slide with info on how to submit feedback to the House members regarding the bill and the impact on our clients’ circumstances when they have an eviction on their record. I encourage everyone to share their input; details are attached.
Project 3500, City of Charleston
Suzanne asked if the group was aware of this new tool to track the progress of the development of affordable housing on the peninsula. The City has launched an online dashboard which is a landing page for news about the initiative. They have committed to creating 3500 units by 2032. The dashboard shares info about where housing will be located, site selection criteria, design concepts, data & analysis. They also have scheduled meetings to answer questions and provide updates to the community. Attached is further information about the meetings.
Gateway to Housing Update – Suzanne
Suzanne shared that there is progress on securing new contracts with the City of Charleston and Charleston County. The City has the new contract on the City Council Agenda for 2/23. Once the Council approves it, then the City staff and Jeffrey and Suzanne will take the next steps to sign the contract. Suzanne is also working with City staff to plan a landlord engagement event in late March to recruit more property owners in the city limits of Charleston. Hopefully, Charleston County will have their contract on the County Council’s meeting agenda for the first meeting in March. Suzanne is optimistic that by late March all the necessary paperwork will be completed and hopefully GTH can begin operating again. Stay tuned.
Roundtable New Structure Update-Suzanne
Suzanne announced that after further consideration she decided that 6 Action Groups may be too much of a change for the group. Therefore, she has now condensed it to 3 groups: Community Coordination, Outreach & Engagement and Shelter Development. A document is attached with more information regarding each group. There is also a link in the email for you to sign up for an Action Group or ask for more information.
Eviction Data Response Network – Suzanne and Jeffrey
There is a new grant opportunity with New America Foundation for 10 states to submit an application for a $75,000 grant. Applications must be submitted by state-level teams with the lead agency being a state-wide entity. The focus is to build a pipeline of reliable and comprehensive eviction data and craft data-driven policies and programs that keep people housed. Only one application per state is allowed. Suzanne attended a webinar about this grant opportunity and was the only one from SC. She approached Jeffrey about Palmetto Project being the lead agency since they are state-wide. The application is due on Tuesday, March 3. This represents a tremendous opportunity for our state to finally have comprehensive eviction data and the tools to utilize it in the most effective way.
Next Meeting is on 3/20/26 at 9:30—City of North Charleston in the Montague Conference Room on the 2nd floor on the left (2500 City Hall Lane.)