Organizational Updates
Nominations for the 2026 NC Housing Coalition Awards are now open!
Each year at the NC Affordable Housing Conference breakfast, we recognize organizations and individuals who have gone above and beyond the call of duty to advocate for affordable housing. If you or someone you know has excelled in housing advocacy over the last year, submit a nomination by September 18.
Register Now: NC Affordable Housing Conference
Early bird registration for The 2026 NC Affordable Housing Conference is now open! Get our best rate by registering before close of business on September 24 at 5 pm and check out the agenda to see what we have in store for our attendees. Don’t miss this opportunity to connect with industry leaders, exchange ideas and drive positive change. The 2026 NC Affordable Housing Conference will be held on October 22–23 at the Raleigh Convention Center.
Federal Updates
HUD Proposes Elimination of Disparate Impact Regulations
Yesterday (Aug. 10), HUD issued a supplemental notice of proposed rulemaking that would eliminate the agency’s longstanding disparate impact regulations that implement Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Title VI prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, and national origin toward recipients of federal financial assistance, including federally assisted housing If disparate impact regulations are eliminated, housing policies that disproportionately harm protected groups would be more difficult to prove in court. Public comments on this proposal are due by October 9, 2026
Senate Passes Continuing Resolution
The Senate passed a continuing resolution with a 90-6 vote on Saturday to fund the government beyond the midterm elections. Once the House comes back on August 31, they will have to vote again since they passed different versions.
- The Senate’s version would fund federal agencies through December 11 at current levels. The House’s version would fund agencies through December 4.
- The Senate bill provides additional funding for disaster relief to FEMA and includes language to allow Public Housing Authorities (PHAs) to repurpose Tenant Based Rental Assistance (TBRA) funding to cover households with an Emergency Housing Voucher (EHV) through the rest of the calendar year
- The Senate’s legislation includes language that does not allow ICE and Border Patrol to receive any additional funding during the stop gap funding period.
- The Senate’s version includes language temporarily blocking the proposed OMB grantmaking rule that would allow political appointees to be in charge of over federal grant making decisions.
Resources for August Recess Outreach
This is a great time of year to schedule in-district meetings with your members of congress, and invite them to see your impactful work as well as connecting them with directly impacted people and communities so they can see how their decisions and how policies and programs are playing out in their district and what solutions are needed. Check out the National Low Income Housing Coalition’s August Recess Advocacy Toolkit by clicking here. Tell them to expand and not cut federal investments in affordable housing and homeless assistance programs. Use the National Council of Nonprofits’ tool to email your members of Congress and urge them to block implementation of OMB’s proposed rule.
State Updates
NCGA Adjourns, Likely No Votes Until November
The NC General Assembly adjourned last week on Thursday, August 6, 2026. On Wednesday afternoon, at the end of the voting session that day, Speaker Destin Hall mentioned that this would be the last substantive voting session until November barring any special sessions called or emergency. Both chambers have adopted a joint adjournment resolution which lays out the schedule for the remainder of the short session (subject to further changes) as well as their scope for the remainder of the year.
After August 6, they will only consider bills vetoed by the Governor (which could include HB 437), bills related to appointments, constitutional amendments, election laws, or adoption of conference reports, and bills sent to the House by August 6 for a concurrence vote. The remaining dates in the adjournment resolution that the NCGA could return for applicable business are below, but many aren’t anticipating any substantive work or votes to take place until after the November election.
- Adjourn Thursday, August 6, 2026*
- Reconvene Monday, August 31, 2026, Adjourn Wednesday, September 2, 2026
- Reconvene Monday, September 28, 2026, Adjourn Wednesday, September 30, 2026
- Reconvene Monday, October 26, 2026, Adjourn Wednesday October 28, 2026
- Reconvene Monday, November 16, 2026, Adjourn Thursday November 19, 2026
- Reconvene Monday November 30, 2026, Adjourn Friday. December 18, 2026
Our team is working on a summary of the short legislative session. Keep an eye out for this resource as well as next steps as we regroup and prepare for when they come back, as well as for the next legislative session.
Disaster Recovery: Renew NC Launches Prescreening Tool
Renew NC recently launched a prescreening tool to help potential applicants prepare for the upcoming launch of the Workforce Housing for Ownership (WHFO) Program. Prescreening provides an initial review to help determine whether proposed Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) projects align with federal requirements, meet a national objective, and demonstrate financial feasibility. Of the $1.4 billion in CDBG-DR funding allocated by HUD to the state for Helene recovery, $53.38 million is allocated for the WHFO Program. Click here to learn more.
Local Headlines
The high costs of living in the High Country: New report shows statewide housing cost challenges| Avery Journal Times
The Governor’s Senior Housing Policy Advisor speaks to Spectrum News 13 on how NC is looking for solutions to housing access and affordability| Spectrum News 13
ATTOM Data showing Foreclosure Rates by State, NC experiencing increases| ATTOM
Reports & Resources
Driving Opportunities Fact Sheets | NC Justice Center
North Carolina remains one of the states that suspends driver’s licenses for unpaid traffic tickets (failure to pay) and missed court dates (failure to appear). Today, nearly one million North Carolinians have a suspended driver’s license for these administrative reasons.The NC Justice Center recently released several fact sheets that highlight the far-reaching impact of debt-based driver’s licenses suspensions in North Carolina and the opportunities that reform could create for individuals, families, and communities across the state. These fact sheets include Driving Opportunities: Safe and Affordable Housing, Driving Opportunities: Reduced Poverty, and the People First, Not Punishment Storybook. Organizations and individuals can also sign on to the Campaign to End Debt Based Driver’s License Suspensions in NC.
2025 Point-in-Time Count Highlights North Carolina’s Housing Challenges | NC Housing Finance Agency
Many Owners Cannot Afford to Maintain Aging Homes | Joint Center for Housing Studies
Survey: Cost Pressures Disrupt Affordable Housing Pipeline | Affordable Housing Finance
When churches become builders: New data chronicles the rise of the YIGBY movement | Planetizen Blogs
NMHC/NYU Housing Affordability Toolkit Underscores Need to Make LIHTC, Other Housing Programs Go Further | Novogradac
Events
Unlocking Housing Goals with the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act | August 11, 2026 – 2:30pm-3:30pm, National League of Cities (NLC) Webinar. Register here.
Triad Housing Hangout Community Conversations on Regional Housing | August 26, 2026 – 1:00pm-2:00pm at Forsyth County Central Library. Register here.
Forsyth County Humane Housing Network | August 27, 2026, 9:00am-12:00pm, Forsyth County Central Library – discussing action and strategies to address the county’s 25,000 unit housing deficit. Register here.
White Flag Shelters – NCCEH Monthly Workshop | Thursday, August 27, from 2:00–3:00 PM
As extreme weather becomes increasingly common, more communities are working to launch cooling and warming shelters for unsheltered and other vulnerable residents. This interactive session will cover how to get started and offer best practices and lessons learned directly from North Carolina shelter providers. Attendees will have the opportunity to participate in a Q&A session, and questions may be submitted in advance. This workshop is free and open to all North Carolina nonprofit organizations and stakeholders. Registration link: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_ePRkmYruQOmouvS1LoZntw
Save the Date: 2027 CAHEC Partners Conference | June 8-9, 2027 at the Raleigh Convention Center. Click here to learn more.
