Housing Call: February 18, 2025 – North Carolina Housing Coalition

Organizational Updates

Save the Date for our Fall Conference

Save the date for the 2025 NC Affordable Housing Conference happening September 30–October 1 at the Raleigh Convention Center! Get ready for engaging breakout sessions, insightful speakers and valuable networking opportunities with affordable housing professionals from across North Carolina. More details will be coming your way soon. The NC Affordable Housing Conference is presented by the North Carolina Housing Coalition, the North Carolina Housing Finance Agency, and Centrant Community Capital.

Federal & National Updates

Sign on letter to protect Federal Resources

After the Trump administration’s recent attempt to freeze all Federal grants, loans, and financial assistance programs, it is clear that virtually all Federal housing funds are at risk of disappearing in the next year. If the administration does not try again to halt the distribution of previously appropriated funds, it will soon look to Congress to make drastic budget cuts once the current Continuing Resolution ends in March.

Our North Carolina Senators and Congresspeople need to know that our state relies on these Federal housing funds to create and sustain affordable, thriving communities. The loss of these funds will mean drastic increases in evictions and homelessness in North Carolina and will stall Hurricane Helene recovery.

Tell NC’s Congressional delegation to protect Federal housing investments in North Carolina. Add your organization to our letter to Congress today.

So far we have over 360 signatures from people and organizations across the state, and we have signatures from an individual, organization, or community group working in every single county in North Carolina. Please sign on to the letter by the close of business tomorrow, Wednesday February 19, 2025. We will be sending our letter to our congressional delegation on Thursday.

Click through below to view and sign the letter on behalf of your organization. If you have any questions about participating, contact policy@nchousing.org.

State & Local Updates

NC General Assembly Updates

NCGA Meetings we are watching this week:

Monday 2/17 – Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House – at 4:00pm – Yesterday
Tuesday 2/18 – Appropriations – General Government – Joint Committee – 9:00AM
Tuesday 2/18 – House Committee on Regulatory Reform

2025-2026 Bill Tracker for NC General Assembly

So far, over 150 bills have been filed. To see which bills we are tracking check out our bill tracker for the 2025-2026 legislative session, click here.

Disaster Recovery

Last week the following changes were made to HB47 – Disaster Recovery Act of 2025 Part 1

$10M to the NCDHHS Division of Social Services to supplement rental assistance payments;
$75M for payments to farmers who lost crops, livestock, & infrastructure;
$55M for local governments grants to expedite infrastructure repairs affecting small business operation and patronage;
$5M for tourism marketing;
Allows the State to loan out surplus heavy machinery/vehicles to Volunteer Organizations Active in Disaster Recovery (VOADs) & local governments for the purpose of recovery activities; and
Allows Dept. of Corrections inmates to pick up debris on affected public roads.

NC to Become 7th Most Populated State in Early 2030s | NC OSBM

According to the most recent Census estimates, NC’s population is projected to reach 11.7 million people by 2030. If this projection holds true, the anticipated population growth of approximately 1.2M residents between 2020 and 2030 would be enough for NC to gain an additional congressional seat following the 2030 Census. NC would also outpace Georgia and Ohio to become the 7th most populous state (currently we rank 9th). Check out this NC Office of State Budget and Management for additional insights.

Local News & Updates

City Manager Launches Plan to Increase Greensboro’s Housing Stock | City News

Last week, the City of Greensboro announced plans to build 10,000 homes by 2030. City leaders say these 10,000 homes would represent about one-third of the homes needed to meet the region’s projected demand. A work group comprised of city officials and key stakeholders will convene in the coming weeks to begin the work of assessing areas of development and forming partnerships with interested developers.

Chapel Hill Launches $20 Million Affordable Housing Fund With Help From UNC Health | – Chapelboro.com

Last week, the Town of Chapel Hill announced the launch of their $20M Affordable Housing Loan Fund in partnership with UNC Health and Self-Help Ventures Fund. In 2023, the Town and UNC Health committed a total of $5.7 million in seed funding. Self-Help Ventures Fund leveraged the investments to attract additional capital from banking partners to create the $20 million fund. The new fund will provide below-market loans to support the acquisition, preservation, and creation of affordable housing in Chapel Hill. Two types of loans are available through the fund. Loans for preservation or creation of affordable housing may range from a minimum size of $500,000 up to $7 million and can either serve as 5-year bridge financing or 15-year permanent subordinate financing. Developers interested in applying for loans should contact the Self-Help Ventures Fund lending team at multifamilyloans@self-help.org.

Events

[webinar] Year 15: Transition Strategies for Expiring LIHTC Properties | Enterprise Community Partners, February 25, 2 pm Register here.
Piedmont Triad Regional Housing Summit | Piedmont Triad Regional Council & The City of Winston-Salem, February 27, 9:30 am – 4:30 pm at the Benton Convention Center, Register here.
[webinar] “The Housing Moment: Innovations for a Better Future,” | Terner Labs & the National League of Cities, Thursday, February 27, at 9:00 a.m. Register here.
- The event will include three panel discussions and presentations covering topics such as housing innovation, the relationship between housing and wealth, and the development of stable and strong homes. The event will feature conversations between several housing, community development, and financing experts.
[webinar] Deteriorating Affordability: An Update on America’s Rental Housing 2024 | Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University, March 7, 1:30 pm
High Point NAACP Homeownership Fair | February 27, 6 – 8 pm @ YWCA High Point
In-Person Registration Full; Virtual Registration Available: National Low Income Housing Policy Forum March 24-27, 2025 in Washington, D.C.
2025 NC Housing Day | NC Housing Coalition, Habitat NC, & the NC Coalition to End Homelessness, Wednesday, April 9 at the NCGA in downtown Raleigh. Register here.