Neighbors Helping Neighbors

 Robert and Jan are longtime Hilton Head Island residents. Robert has developed heart and kidney problems. He is a shrimper, but has not been able to work for some time.

 “If any family deserves help, it is this one,” said Robert’s employer. “He is a hard worker, and would work some days when he could hardly drag himself to the dock.”

 Jan also works, but her income isn’t enough to pay all of the bills. The couple also has a small child who has experienced health problems. Robert has applied for disability, but has yet to receive approval, and the process can be very lengthy.

 When Robert and Barbara called the Deep Well Project for assistance, the family was in imminent danger of having its water shut off. Robert and Jan simply had no way to pay their bill.

 Hilton Head PSD’s Bucks for a Better Island fund was there, helping customers like Robert and Jan in their time of need. Funds from Bucks for a Better Island paid Robert and Jan’s water bill.

 Robert and Jan’s story is proof that Hilton Head Public Service District’s Bucks for a Better Island program is working to help islanders in need. The program has two goals: to help qualified applicants connect to the public sewer system; and to provide assistance to individuals who need help paying their utility bills.

 PSD customers contribute to Bucks for a Better Island by rounding up their monthly or quarterly utility bills to the next-highest dollar. More than 90 percent of PSD customers participate in Bucks for a Better Island. Customers’ bills are automatically rounded up, and customers need only contact the PSD if they do not wish to participate.

 Bucks for a Better Island donations are put to work helping to cover the cost of connection to the sewer system for applicants who meet certain income requirements. Hilton Head PSD is implementing a Sewer Master Plan, aimed at providing access to the sewer system for the approximately 20 percent of properties in our service area that do not have access. The PSD is prepared to allocate $20 million over the next 10 years to install the backbone sewer infrastructure necessary to provide individual lots and subdivisions with access to the sewer system. However, homeowners could be faced with costs in the $13,000-range to connect their properties to the sewer system. Homeowners who meet income qualifications will be able to apply for connection assistance that utilizes Bucks for a Better Island funds.

 Many of the homeowners who currently are without access to the sewer system use septic tanks for on-site wastewater disposal. Studies have shown that Hilton Head Island’s soils are unsuitable for septic tanks, and many septic tank failures occur near the island’s waterways.

 The PSD believes that our community’s public health and the island’s pristine environment depend upon eliminating septic tanks and installing sewers in neighborhoods that have long desired such public service. Contributions to Bucks for a Better Island help eliminate septic tanks on Hilton Head by assisting qualified homeowners with connection to the public sewer system.

 The Deep Well Project receives a portion of Bucks for a Better Island funds as well, and uses these donations to help qualified customers like Robert and Jan pay their utility bills and other water and sewer related costs.

 For more information about Bucks for a Better Island, please contact our Customer Service Center at (843) 681-5525 or email us at info@hhpsd.com. Please consider a contribution to Bucks for a Better Island – the program that truly is Neighbors Helping Neighbors.