Last week’s D.C. Fly-In gave Charleston-area business and government leaders the chance to meet with officials from the U.S. Coast Guard and Navy about priorities affecting our region.

Housing and access to childcare were part of those conversations. Challenges military families face, and that are familiar to employers and workers across the Charleston region.

That overlap matters as both our military presence and regional economy continue to grow.

Base Charleston is expected to become the Coast Guard’s largest homeport and a base for global operations, training and support. The Coast Guard estimates its workforce in the Charleston area may double by 2030.

At the same time, the Charleston metro is projected to add approximately 33,200 net new jobs between 2025 and 2030.

Growth at that scale increases the need for housing people can afford and childcare that allows parents to participate in the workforce. It also raises a larger question for the region: What changes can help Charleston keep pace?

Recent Lowcountry Pulse results suggest voters are open to action.

Seventy-two percent of likely voters across Berkeley, Charleston and Dorchester counties support government policies that expand access to affordable, high-quality childcare. Another 86.1% support clear, predictable timelines for permitting and development review. Housing was also the top affordability concern identified in the poll, including 48.3% of voters ages 18 to 34.

Those findings point to areas where public policy can be part of the solution.

For housing, clearer development processes can provide more certainty as projects move forward. Private investment also has a role. The Charleston Workforce Housing Fund, backed by 15 regional employers, is deploying $50 million in committed capital to acquire, rehabilitate and preserve 1,000 affordable multifamily apartments across the tri-county region.

Childcare requires the same kind of coordination. The Chamber’s People First work calls for a mix of public and private investment, policies that reduce costs for working families, support for the childcare workforce and reforms that can make it easier to open or expand childcare facilities.

That is where the Chamber’s advocacy work comes in.

Our role is not simply to identify the challenges businesses are facing. It is to bring those experiences into conversations with elected officials and public agencies, work with partners across the region and advocate for policies that address barriers to growth.

The D.C. Fly-In is one part of that effort. It gives business and government leaders a chance to hear directly from our military partners while making sure Charleston’s priorities are heard at the federal level. Those conversations also help identify where military needs and business needs overlap.

Housing and childcare are just two examples.

The business community, military installations and local governments may approach these issues from different perspectives, but all rely on a region where people can afford to live and have the support they need to work.

The opportunity now is to use that common ground to move solutions forward.