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Housing Call: April 30, 2024

NCHC Updates

  • THIS FRIDAY, May 3, 2024 – 10:00 am – Learning Collaborative Session #5 – To register: Click Here.

Session five of our Learning Collaborative Series on Housing Barriers for Justice Involved populations and individuals at risk of overdose will feature colleagues working within Managed Care who are working to support some of the most vulnerable citizens of our state.

Topics covered will include the Transitions to Community Living Initiative, Reentry supports and services for those exiting institutions, and other issues related to those seeking housing and behavioral health supports.

 

Federal Updates

City of Grants Pass v. Johnson

Last week, the Supreme Court heard Grants Pass v. Johnson, a case that will determine whether people experiencing homelessness have a constitutional right to camp on public property when they do not have an alternative place to sleep. If the Supreme Court upholds the Ninth Circuit’s ruling, localities won’t be able to fine and criminalize people for not having homes and will instead have to focus on the root of the issue, access to safe, decent, and affordable housing. A ruling is expected by the end of June.

Want to learn more? Check out our roundup of local and national City of Grants Pass v. Johnson news coverage

 

State Updates 

DHRC Member Legal Aid of North Carolina Wins Settlement for Heirs’ Property Owners Excluded from Disaster Recovery Assistance Program | In a win for owners of heirs properties, Legal Aid of North Carolina reached a settlement last week with the North Carolina Office of Recovery & Resiliency (NCORR). The suit was filed after an heirs property owner’s application to the Rebuild NC Homeowner Recovery Program was denied due to lack of proof of ownership. Legal Aid asserted that when applied to owners of heirs properties, NCORR’s proof of ownership requirements violated the federal Fair Housing Act because it resulted in disproportionate denials to Black homeowners seeking disaster recovery assistance funds. As a result of the settlement, NCORR will adopt a new proof of ownership policy that only requires owners of heirs properties to attest that they will reach out to other heirs and notify them about their participation in the ReBuild program. The 74 applicants who were previously denied due to lack of proof of ownership will also be invited to re-apply to the program.

State Legislative Updates

Short Session begins

The NC General Assembly reconvened in Raleigh last week for the Short Session. They are expected to hit the ground running this week and we expect to have more updates for you next week.

Gov. Cooper releases budget

Governor Cooper recently released his recommended state budget adjustments for the upcoming fiscal year. While the General Assembly will ultimately decide the budget, the Governor’s budget signals his funding priorities for the upcoming year. Affordable housing highlights from Gov. Cooper’s budget include:

  • A $2.7M allocation to expand local reentry councils and supportive services
  • Increases funding for the Transitions to Community Living (TCLI) program by $9.5M
  • Redirects the remaining $49.4M Emergency Rental Assistance (ERA2) funds to the state Housing Trust Fund
  • Transfers $15M from the Housing Reserve to the Workforce Housing Loan Program
  • Budgets $75M from the State Emergency Response and Disaster Relief Fund (SERDRF) to help households who are not eligible for Federal aid recover from Hurricanes Matthew and Florence.

 

Local Community Updates

Charlotte & Asheville Allocate Housing Funds

Last week, Asheville City Council approved $4.6M from the City’s Housing Trust Fund for 196 affordable rental and homeownership opportunities. The funds are granted as low-interest loans to affordable housing developers.

Charlotte City Council voted last week to award $5.4M from the Housing Development Fund to support 4159 affordable housing units. Two of the awards are contingent upon LIHTC funding, which will be announced later this summer. An additional $3M was allocated from the Transit Oriented Development (TOD) Affordable Housing Development Bonus Program to support property acquisition for affordable housing. This fund is supported by developers who can increase their building height within a TOD if they opt to pay a fee instead of allocating a certain amount of their units toward affordable housing.

New documentary explores barriers to reentry in Orange County | Last week, the Orange County Local Reentry Council hosted the premiere of “Welcome Home?”, a short documentary about barriers to reentry for justice-involved people in Orange County. Gov. Cooper recently proclaimed April as Second Chance Month in North Carolina.

Lumbee Tribe builds more housing for senior members in Robeson Co. | The Lumbee Tribe recently held a dedication ceremony to celebrate the first 3 affordable rental houses completed in Pine Needle Senior Village in Rowland. Robeson County Commissioners, Rowland administrators, and Tribal leaders participated in a ribbon cutting and presented the 3 elders with keys. Once complete, the development will be home to 24 senior households.

Dare needs housing plan; legislation to be introduced to eliminate controversial section in budget bill – The Coastland Times | The Dare County Housing Task Force met with State Sens. Hanig & Sanderson last week to discuss plans for the $35M allocation from 2021 for affordable housing in the state budget. Staff from Reps. Tillis and Budd’s office were also in attendance. Sen. Hanig reported that he has drafted technical corrections to take out the stipulations that led to the County voting to return the money. The Task Force plans to reorganize membership at their next meeting and will meet more frequently to hopefully establish a concrete spending plan and establish local buy-in while the NCGA is in Short Session.

 

Reports & Resources

 

Events

  • [webinar] Radical Homecoming: Reclaiming Spaces, Identities, and Futures | PolicyLink, April 30, 3 p.m. Register here
  • NCWAHN Happy Hour May 2, 5-7 p.m. at Whiskey Kitchen in Raleigh
  • NCWAHN and Paraison Invitational Golf Lessons and Picnic Luncheon | May 16th 11am – 1pm at The First Tee Learning Center in Pineville. Join the NCWAHN members for lessons with expert coaches in conjunction with the Paraison Invitational. Register here!
  • City of Hendersonville’s 2024 Affordable Housing Summit | Strategic Housing Plan Steering Committee, May 16 5:30 – 7:45 p.m. @ Hendersonville High School
    • The evening will feature acclaimed housing policy expert and author, Shane Phillips.. The summit is open to non-profit service providers, members of the business community, government leaders, affordable housing advocates, community members, and anyone committed to expanding and improving housing in Henderson County and across the WNC region. This program is FREE and open to all.
  • [webinar] Emergency Shelter: Reimagining a Housing Focused Place People Want to Use | National Alliance to End Homelessness, May 16 from 3-4:30 ET. Register for the webinar here.
  • [webinar] Advancing Homelessness Solutions | NLIHC, the National Alliance to End Homelessness, and the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, Tuesday, May 21, from 2 to 3 pm ET. Register for the webinar here.
  • Bringing it Home: Ending Homelessness In NC Conference – Raleigh, NC June 4-5. To register, click here.
  • CAHEC Partners Conference – Raleigh, NC – June 4 – 5. To register, click here. Registration Deadline: May 20
  • Women’s Affordable Housing Network National Housing Summit 2024 – Atlanta, GA – June 9-11. To register, click here.

 

In the News

Recommended read

Housing Call: April 23, 2024

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