NCHC Update
Register Now: Housing Works 2023
Early bird registration for the 2023 NC Affordable Housing Conference is open! Get our best rate by registering by September 22. Information about hotels, speakers, sponsors and more can all be found on our website. Register today and mark your calendars for October 23–24 at the Raleigh Convention Center! We look forward to seeing you there.
Nominations Open: NC Housing Coalition Awards
We have opened nominations for this year’s NC Housing Coalition Awards. This year, we are seeking nominations for new award categories focused on effective advocacy. The categories are:
- Digital mobilization
- Advocacy event
- Public education effort
- Grassroots mobilization
- Cross sector partnerships
Check out this week’s Housing Matters for more details. You can email nominations to info@nchousing.org.
Federal Updates
Last week, the Committee on Housing, Banking, and Urban Affairs held a hearing titled, “’The Rent Eats First’: How Renters and Communities are Impacted by Today’s Housing Market.” Witnesses included Diane Yentel, President of the National Low Income Housing Coalition and Matthew Desmond, founder of the Eviction Lab. The National Low Income Housing Coalition has a great synopsis of the hearing, which we have linked in the call notes.
State Legislative Updates
No action expected from the General Assembly until next week. We’re hearing they are on track to release a budget by August 21.
Local Community Updates
North Wilkesboro homeless shelter beats zoning police in federal case | The Catherine H. Barber Memorial Homeless Shelter in North Wilkesboro opened its new location over the weekend. The shelter ended up in a yearslong dispute with the Town of North Wilkesboro after the Town rewrote zoning ordinances to block the shelter. Ultimately, in December 2021 a federal judge ruled in favor of the shelter and ordered the town to grant permits and allow renovations to move forward.
Town of Boone Awards the Watauga Community Housing Trust $10,000 Towards Affordable Housing Opportunity – High Country Press | Earlier this summer at a budget retreat, Boone Town Council voted unanimously to award the Watauga Community Housing Trust with $10,000 to help them acquire their first community land trust property, with the contingency that the organization raises $45,000 and that the property is within Town limits. The organization met the fundraising goal and successfully closed on a property earlier this month in the Town’s historically black Junaluska community. A deed restriction will ensure the property remains permanently affordable for future generations of homeowners.
Habitat affiliates across NC celebrated homeownership for new families last week.
- 4 families in West Asheville received keys to their homes last week.
- In Castle Hayne, Cape Fear Habitat hosted a Builders Blitz where they built two homes over the course of a week; and
- Durham Habitat for Humanity and the Durham Housing Authority announced the completion of their Building Blocks Initiative last week. The initiative produced 37 new energy efficient homes in East Durham.
Charlotte leaders put new plan in place for solving affordable-housing problem | The United Way of Greater Charlotte recently released an implementation plan geared towards ending and preventing homelessness in Charlotte and Mecklenburg County. The report is the result of a 9-month study largely funded by the County and Charlotte Center City Partners (economic development organization).
200 Affordable Housing Units Under Development | Last week, the NC Housing Finance Agency and City of Raleigh celebrated the groundbreaking of Toulon Place, a 200 unit development near the Raleigh Convention Center for residents earning less than 60% of the Area Median Income. 10% of units will be reserved for individuals at risk of or experiencing homelessness. The project was financed in part by a 4% LIHTC bond deal from the NC Housing Finance Agency and nearly $725K in gap financing from the City of Raleigh.
Wake County Removes Funding Barriers to Ensure Continued Help for Homeless | Wake County ended its housing hotline program on August 1. People experiencing housing crises could previously call the hotline to be connected with resources like shelters, street outreach, and temporary emergency financial assistance. The hotline was staffed by the Continuum of Care’s lead agency, the Raleigh/Wake Partnership to End and Prevent Homelessness. Last fall, both Wake County and the City of Raleigh pulled funding from the organization due to concerns around their ability to meet expectations. And in June, the CoC’s governance committee terminated their agreement with the Raleigh/Wake Partnership.
Reports & Resources
- [report released 7/27] 2021 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress: Part 2, Estimates of Homelessness in the US | HUD
- Understanding the Work of Community-Based Organizations in Historically Black Communities | Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University
- Greater Assistance Needed to Combat the Persistence of Substandard Housing | Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University
Events
- [webinar] Making Connections – Budget Landscape & Protecting Our State Budget | NC Budget & Tax Center, 8/9, 12-1 p.m.
In the News
Economists support nationwide rent control in letter to Biden admin | VICE
To spur affordable housing, the federal government is selling land for dirt cheap | HousingWire
Withering heat is more common, but getting AC is still a struggle in public housing | NPR
How the pandemic spurred a housing crisis in cities across the nation | Politico
