Federal Updates
Comparing House and Senate Housing Bills
Last week, the House passed a comprehensive bipartisan housing bill, the Housing for the 21st Century Act. How does it compare to the Senate’s ROAD to Housing Act? What can we expect next?
Both bills passed with overwhelming bipartisan support. Almost half of the House bill’s sections share similarities with the Senate’s version. Both bills include language around:
- Reforming housing counseling & financial literacy programs
- Incentivizing landlord participation in the Housing Choice Voucher program
- Eliminating the permanent chassis requirement on mobile homes (a provision borrowed from Sen.Tillis’s Housing Supply Expansion Act of 2025)
- Creating a grant program to help local governments develop pattern books of pre-reviewed housing designs
- Providing best practices for state and local zoning and land-use policy
- Reforming the HOME program
- Raising the cap on bank public welfare investments to 20%
- Increasing FHA Multifamily loan limits
The House’s version includes several provisions that are not included in the ROAD to Housing Act, including a number of community banking reforms and the establishment of an eviction helpline.
However, the House’s version lacks a number of provisions that the Senate included, such as:
- Permanently authorizing the CDBG-DR Program
- Addressing appraisal bias & reforming appraisal industry standards
- Incentivizing local solutions to homelessness and reforming homelessness programs
- Creating and supporting a number of other HUD programs and pilots
The House and Senate must now work together to create a version of legislation that both the House and Senate will support. According to Politico, President Trump is strongly advocating for the inclusion of legislation around limiting institutional investors from purchasing single family homes.
State Updates
Early Voting Now Through February 28
Early voting began last Thursday, February 12 and continues through Saturday, February 28 at 3 p.m. Click here to learn more from the NC State Board of Elections about early voting sites and hours before heading to the polls. Election Day is Tuesday March 3.
Governor Stein, DEQ Announce Cost-Saving Energy Program
Last week, in partnership with DEQ, Governor Stein announced a new cost-saving energy program now available in all 100 counties. Residents can now check eligibility and apply for rebates to lower their electricity costs by making their homes more energy efficient. Click here to check eligibility and learn more.
An eligible household can receive up to $16,000 in rebates for energy efficiency improvements such as heat pump heating and cooling systems and insulation, and initial estimates show a household could achieve nearly $1,000 in energy savings over the course of a year. Additional rebates of up to $14,000 are available for high efficiency electrical appliances such as water heaters and electric cooktops.
Involuntary Commitment and Public Safety Meeting
The House Select Committee on Involuntary Commitment and Public Safety is meeting TODAY 1:00pm in 643 LOB. For more details click here.
Disaster Recovery Housing Updates
Updates to RenewNC Single-Family Housing Program
From RenewNC: Click here to view UPDATED policies and procedures for the Single-Family Housing Program, Small Rental Rehabilitation Program, Multi-Family Construction and Repair (MCR) Large Project Program, Commercial District Revitalization Program, and the Community Infrastructure Program.
As Helene Survivors Wait for Help, Victims of Earlier Hurricanes Are Still Out of Their Homes | ProPublica
NC’s private road and bridge repair program can only pay for about 10% of the projects | Blue Ridge Public Radio
Local Headlines
Property taxes take center stage in Orange County Commissioners race | NC Newsline
‘Together is The Only Path Forward’: Orange County’s Habitat for Humanity Hosts Affordable Housing Summit | Chapelboro.com
Durham Will Test Out a Day Shelter with Homelessness Services | INDY Week
There’s yet another change at the top of Durham Housing Authority | NC Newsline
Raleigh’s Highly Anticipated Moore Square Apartments Affordable Housing Development Scrapped | INDY Week
Cape Fear Habitat for Humanity expands housing model with Castle Hayne mixed-income project | WECT
Funding Opportunity
Microgrant Program | Resilient Futures Co-Lab
Resource
Novogradac Opportunity Zones 2.0 Mapping Tool (free)
Now updated with American Community Survey 5-year estimates released on January 29. Users can also use the “Year” dropdown in the data layer legend to see eligibility based on the previous time frame (2019-2023).
Reports & Research
Finding Affordable Housing through the Community Land Trust Model | NC Housing Finance Agency
U.S. Housing Cost Burdens Reach All‑Time High in 2024 as Pressures Expand Across Income Groups | Novogradac
Will Regulating Large Institutional Investors Actually Make Housing More Affordable? | Urban Institute
Events
NC Women’s Affordable Housing Network (NCWAHN) Galentine’s Day Happy Hour and Trivia Night | Tuesday, February 17, drop in between 5-8 p.m. at Heist Brewery at Camp North End
[webinar] Understanding the Rapid Rise in Rural Home Prices | Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies, Friday, February 20, 12:30 – 1:30 p.m.
[webinar] How to File Your Taxes for Free in 2026 | The NC Tax Coalition is hosting a webinar on Tuesday, Feb 24th from 12:00 – 12:45pm to share information on free and low-cost tax filing options for the 2026 tax season. This webinar is designed for organizations and advocates who work directly with North Carolinians and want to ensure their communities have access to up-to-date tax-filing resources. Click here to register.
Vacancy Persists: But it Looks Different, and the Rules Have Changed | Center for Community Progress, February 26, 12 p.m. Register here.
[webinar] HUD’s Office of Policy Development & Research (PD&R) Quarterly Update | Wednesday, March 4 from 2 – 4 p.m. Register here.
This update is focused on homelessness and the path ahead for policymaking
NC Women’s Affordable Housing Network Washington (N.C.) Happy Hour | Wednesday, March 4, 5-7 p.m. Learn more and register here.
Housing Policy Forum & Capitol Hill Day 2026 | National Low Income Housing Coalition, March 10-13, 2026 at the Washington Hilton Hotel in Washington, D.C. Learn more and register here.
UNC School of Government Community Development Academy | March 17-19 and April 14-16, 2026 in Chapel Hill, Course Cost: $935
This intensive course is designed for community development practitioners and covers the concepts, methods, and strategies of community economic development. It provides practitioners with perspectives and practical skills surrounding community development in North Carolina.
National Community Investment Conference | March 23-26 in Phoenix, AZ.
Early bird registration ends February 20
Just Economy Conference 2026 | National Community Reinvestment Coalition, April 14-15, 2026 at the Washington Hilton Hotel in Washington, D.C. Learn more and register here.
