Organizational Updates
Learning Collaborative 4 on March 8, 10-11am
Featuring:
Arthur Payne
Morse Clinic of Durham,
NC Association for the Treatment of Opioid Dependence
Kay Sanford
Project Lazarus
NC Harm Reduction Coalition
Federal Updates
Congress only has a few days to reach an agreement on the Final FY24 spending bill before the March 1st deadline (THIS FRIDAY). It appears that they are considering another short-term continuing resolution (CR) lasting no more than two weeks in order to push back the deadline to enact four of the 12 fiscal year (FY) 2024 spending bills, including the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (THUD) bill that funds HUD’s vital affordable housing and homelessness programs.
Source: NLIHC
State Updates
State Legislative Updates
Relevant NCGA Meetings
- Today at 1 p.m.! – Joint Legislative Committee – Gen Gov
- February 28 at 1 p.m. – House Select Committee on HOAs
Local Community Updates
- Brunswick County opens Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Waiting List March 11-25, 2024 Brunswick County’s Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program list will be reopened from March 11-March 25. For the first time, Brunswick County will be using an online lottery system to register and select program participants. Eligible individuals can register for the waitlist online at waitlistcheck.com/NC788.
- VCHA gets near $3 million to house the homeless |hendersondispatch.com Earlier this month, the NC Housing Finance Agency announced 2 additional funding awards through its Supportive Housing American Rescue Plan (SHARP) program. Funds were awarded to the Roxboro Community Redevelopment Corporation for a 13-unit non-congregate shelter near downtown Roxboro. The second award, provided to the Vance County Housing Authority, will finance the construction of 10 2-bedroom single family homes. This will be the Vance County Housing Authority’s first expansion since 1981.
- North Carolina: 13 Habitat for Humanity homes being built in Happy Hill neighborhood of Winston-Salem The Winston-Salem Housing Authority recently donated 13 lots in the Happy Hills neighborhood to Habitat for Humanity of Forsyth County. The donation, in conjunction with a $2mm ARPA grant from the City, will allow Habitat for Humanity of Forsyth County to build 13 homes for low and moderate-income homeownership.
- Wake Board approves $2.4 million loan for 55 new affordable homes Wake County recently voted to approve a $2.4mm loan to Habitat Wake for the construction of 55 affordable homes. The homes will be affordable for at least 20 years and construction and sales are expected to wrap up by 2026.
Faith communities get involved with affordable housing:
- Building tiny homes, opening churches: Wilmington faith community discusses how to address housing crisis One Christian Network – a group of over 300 Christian leaders in the Wilmington area – hosted a housing forum last week. Local nonprofits and churches learned about the housing need in their local community and received information about the city of Wilmington’s Rental Rehab Loan. The program provides 30-year loans of up to $200K at 0% interest for small developers, investors, and nonprofits who commit to renting the unit to a family earning less than 80% AMI. The convening also included a forum on single room rentals and a discussion about how churches can convert underutilized spaces on their property for affordable housing.
- Winston-Salem church nears completion of affordable housing for homeless veterans and low-income families A church in Winston-Salem is nearing completion of 3 affordable 2-bedroom apartments and a house. The church, Whole Man Ministries, was able to complete the project thanks to a $450K grant from the City of Winston-Salem and donations from individuals and community organizations. The first tenant has been selected and the church is working with community organizations to select the remaining tenants.
- Salisbury City Council gives go ahead for permanent supportive housing project to proceed The City of Salisbury voted last week to allocate Shelter Ministries of Rowan $480K in ARPA funds for the creation of 10 Permanent Supportive Housing units that will be operated in conjunction with Rowan Helping Ministries. Others financing the project include the NC Housing Finance Agency, Rowan County, and the local HOME consortium.
Reports & Resources
- Affordable Housing: YIGBY (“Yes in God’s Backyard”) Movement Seeks to Counter NIMBY Movement | Urban Land Magazine
- Rents Are Cooling, but Not Everywhere | Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University
- Hispanic Homeownership: Fair Housing Barriers and Opportunities | HUD Exchange
- Do Community Land Trusts Improve Resident Outcomes? | Urban Institute
- Does Poor Health Influence Residential Selection? Understanding Mobility Among Low-Income Housing Voucher Recipients in the Moving to Opportunity Study | Housing Policy Debate
- Moving Because of Unaffordable Housing and Disrupted Social Safety Net Access Among Children | Pediatrics
- States Can Use Medicaid to Help Address Health-Related Social Needs | Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
- Rekindling the Hope of Black Homeownership | Governing
Events
- [virtual forum] Mayors and Experts on Ending Homelessness | Bipartisan Policy Center, February 28, 2 – 3 p.m.
- [webinar & resource release] Advancing Racial & Health Justice through a Right to Counsel for Tenants | PolicyLink, March 6, 2 – 3 p.m.
- [in-person] Cape Fear Housing Coalition Annual Breakfast | Wilmington, NC, March 11, 8-10 a.m.
- The breakfast is hosted by Cape Fear Realtors and features a policy update from the North Carolina Housing Coalition followed by a keynote address from Dr. Gregg Colburn, author of Homelessness is a Housing Problem. Free and open to the public. RSVP required.
- [webinar] How Local Governments Innovate to Meet Community Housing Needs, HUD, March 21 from 2 – 4 p.m.
- [in-person] Onslow’s Housing Shortage: Impacts & Solutions | Jackson Onslow Community Development, March 21 from 3:30-5:30 p.m. at Jacksonville Country Club. Registration required.
In the News
- How far can cities go to clear homeless camps? The U.S. Supreme Court will decide | NPR
- Unaffordable rental market hits record heights | NPR
- Life in a ‘Death Trap’: How Tenants Rose Up Against a Federally Funded Mega-Landlord | VICE
- Disasters Forced 2.5 Million Americans From Their Homes Last Year | The New York Times
- The Great Compression | The New York Times
- Faith-based institutions take on the affordable housing crisis | Smart Cities Dive
- Can 3D Printing Help Address the Affordable Housing Crisis in the United States? | Smithsonian Magazine
