Housing Call: January 23, 2024

NCHC Organizational Updates

SAVE THE DATE – Bringing it Home Conference – June 4-5

Save the Date for this year’s Bringing It Home: Ending Homelessness in NC conference on June 4-5, 2024 at the McKimmon Center in Raleigh! For the first time since 2019, we will be back in person to learn, network, and collaborate with industry experts from across North Carolina and beyond.

Bringing It Home: Ending Homelessness in NC is a statewide conference dedicated to ensuring that homelessness in North Carolina is rare, brief, and one time only. The two-day conference will include more than a dozen presentations, panels, and workshops covering a broad range of topics related to homelessness. There will also be opportunities to network and share your own insights with fellow professionals and advocates. The conference is hosted by the NC Housing Coalition, NC Coalition to End Homelessness, and the NC DHHS ESG Office.

Registration will open in March. For updates, check our Bringing It Home 2024 Conference Page, or contact hsolomon@nchousing.org with any questions.

2024 Point in Time Count and Homelessness in North Carolina
Guests: Dr. Latonya Agard, NCCEH, and Rachel Waltz, Orange County Partnership to End Homelessness

Read our blog on the Point in Time Count and 2023 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report: Part 1 featuring Dr. Latonya Agard and Rachel Waltz

Dr. Latonya L. Agard, NCCEH
Latonya L. Agard, “Dr. A,” comes to NCCEH with a wealth of leadership experience within the faith community, higher education, nonprofits, and mental health. She holds several degrees, including a BS in Chemistry and an MA in English from the University of Alabama, an MDiv from Duke University Divinity School, and a Doctor of Ministry from Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary. Her work in higher education focused on mentoring first-generation African American students, helping to build their capacity for resilience, and teaching at the University of Alabama, Miles College, Barton College, and Duke Divinity School. As a local pastor and church planter, she has led communities of faith to consider the dynamic relationships between Christian praxis and professions of faith. This transformative work fuels her interest in connecting the tenets of her faith with the practical needs of marginalized communities, which is partly reflected in her work to help establish ONE Wake, an IAF affiliate in Wake County, NC, her job as a case manager for the Support Circle Program for Homeless Families, and her service on nonprofit Boards of Directors.

Integrating her skills, knowledge, and experience, Dr. A broadened her justice work by opening her business, BeSpeak Solutions, Inc. As a North Carolina Fee-Based Practicing Pastoral Counselor Associate and Transformational DEI Specialist, she provides narrative and trauma-informed mental healthcare, workshops, presentations, and consultant services. In 2021, she joined NCCEH as a DEI Consultant to begin guiding the agency through the difficult process of identifying and dismantling racism and racist practices. This collaborative relationship challenged the staff and Board of Directors to redefine its values, reframe its Mission and Vision, and craft an explicit DEI Statement. Now, as our Executive Director, Dr. A continues to lead NCCEH as we transform our workplace culture and serve homeless families in North Carolina.

Rachel Waltz, Manager, Orange County Partnership to End Homelessness
Rachel Waltz is a licensed clinical social worker with over fifteen years of experience providing community-based mental health and housing-focused interventions in partnership with individuals, organizations, and communities. Rachel has served as the Manager of the Orange County Partnership to End Homelessness (OCPEH) since 2021. The Partnership, funded by the Towns of Carrboro, Chapel Hill and Hillsborough and Orange County, serves as the Chapel Hill / Orange County Continuum of Care. As the CoC Lead Agency, OCPEH coordinates the homeless system, monitors program and system performance, hosts an annual funding competition for HUD homeless funds that come into Orange County, provides oversight and support for HUD funded homeless programming, and provides education, training and support across systems such as the criminal legal system, behavioral health system, domestic violence and sexual assault service providers, education, child welfare, as well as community members, faith groups, and stakeholders. Prior to joining OCPEH, Rachel worked in community mental health at the UNC School of Medicine and at the Durham and Bronx VAs providing care to Veterans experiencing homelessness. Rachel earned a Master’s in Social Work from Columbia University and Bachelor’s in Criminal Justice and Psychology from the University of Delaware. Rachel is a proud social worker who lives with her wife and son in Durham.

Federal Updates

Another shutdown averted, for now – Until March 1 and March 8. Congress passed and President Biden signed into law on January 18 another short-term continuing resolution (CR) that will extend funding through March 1 and March 8, at which point Congress will need to finalize its FY2024 spending bills, pass another CR or face a partial or full shutdown of the federal government.

AHCIA Tax Provisions NLIHC Statement

NLIHC and CHCDF Day of Action on 1/25 to Demand Increased Funding for HUD in Final FY24 Spending Bill NLIHC and the Campaign for Housing and Community Development Funding (CHCDF) will host a National Day of Action on January 25 to urge housing advocates to contact their members of Congress and demand increased funding for HUD and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) affordable housing, homelessness, and community development programs in a final fiscal year (FY) 2024 budget.

Here is a toolkit from NLIHC that you can use for January 25! https://nlihc.org/sites/default/files/CHCDF_National-DoA_FY24_Resouces_FINAL1.pdf

Proposed CDBG Program Changes

HUD Press Release
Proposed rule – first substantive change to the CDBG program in almost 30 years
Submit a comment (accepting through March 11)

HUD to Hold Listening Session for Tenants Regarding Proposed Rule to Provide 30-Day Notice before Initiating Eviction Proceedings for Non-Payment of Rent

State Updates

Proposed Insurance Increases
We are still keeping an eye on this matter as it develops, we want to continue to highlight this as a major concern that impacts everyone across our state, particularly homeowners, and renters at risk due to potential impacts to affordable housing developments and developers. Make sure to participate in the public forum!

Reminders about public input opportunities!

This happened yesterday! January 22, 2024

A public comment forum will be held to listen to public input on the North Carolina Bureau’s rate increase request on January 22, from 10am to 4:30pm in the Department of Insurance’s Jim Long Hearing Room on Jan. 22 from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The Jim Long Hearing Room is in the Albemarle Building, 325 N. Salisbury St., Raleigh, N.C. 27603.

People can participate in person or virtually using this link here.
If you are comfortable sharing stories about how this would impact you, your community, your business etc – please fill out the following form.
AARP has also launched advocacy efforts against this – https://action.aarp.org/NCInsuranceRates

However, you can still submit your comments and engage in the following ways

Emailed public comments should be sent by February 2 to an email at 2024Homeowners@ncdoi.gov
Written public comments must be received by Kimberly W. Pearce, Paralegal III by February 2 and addressed to 1201 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, N.C. 27699-1201
Insurance firms seek 42% rate hike for NC homes; 99% increase at beaches, officials say | The North Carolina Rate Bureau – an agency that represents companies that write insurance policies in the state is requesting an average 42.2 percent rate increase for homeowners’ insurance.
Here is a detailed list by cities and counties of the requested increases.

State Legislative Updates

NCGA State lawmakers are set to convene again on February 14, 2024. They will convene a few more times before the beginning of the short session, which is scheduled to begin on April 24, 2024. They are hosting committee meetings and we are monitoring those as well.

We will continue to monitor any issues brought forward regarding housing or related issues, as well as any potential technical corrections regarding the FY23-25 state budget.

Relevant NCGA Meetings

Joint Legislative Commission on Governmental Operations: Subcommittee on Hurricane Recovery & Response – 10:00 am on January 23, 2024 (TODAY)
House Select Committee on Homeowner Associations – meeting Wednesday, January 24, 2024 at 10:00am
Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on General Government – Tuesday January 30, 2024 – 1:00pm

Reminder:
The short session is the season held in the second – even – year of the biennium. During this session only certain matters can be considered, and are outlined in the adjournment resolution voted on in order to determine their eligibility. A matter can also be considered if authorized by a joint resolution passed by a two-thirds vote of each chamber’s members present and voting.

We will continue to monitor the bills discussed during the short session, particularly the ones we have already included in our bill tracker that survived crossover, as well as any bills directly affecting the State budget and other key matters that impact housing and community development.

See the Legislative Memo from November 13, 2023 summarizing the NCGA schedule, short session, and crossover bills (not all eligible bills for 2024).

Here is a list of 2023-2024 Legislation that has Effective dates of July 1, 2023 through January 1, 2024.

Local Updates

Buncombe County releases RFI opportunity

Buncombe County is in the process of developing plans to incentivize the conversion of Short-Term Rental units within Buncombe County to affordable rental units (80% AMI of below) for a minimum of 12-month leases. This Request for Information (RFI) is intended to collect information and recommendations regarding the creation of such an incentive program. Last night, the county wrapped up the second and final public input meeting on proposed amendments regarding short term rentals that would 1) limit locations for short term rentals in unincorporated Buncombe County and 2) provide stricter standards for new short term rentals. A public hearing on the matter will be held next month.

Study seeks to gauge housing needs in the region | BizFayetteville | 11 local real estate associations across central NC are administering a Housing Needs Assessment survey. Members of the public and employers from the Carolina Core (roughly from Winston-Salem going southeast to Fayetteville –Alamance, Caswell, Chatham, Cumberland, Davidson, Davie, Forsyth, Guilford, Harnett, Hoke, Johnston Lee, Montgomery, Moore, Person Randolph, Rockingham, Stokes, Wilkes & Yadkin counties) are invited to complete this short survey.

Public Survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/CarolinaCorePublic

Employer Survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/CarolinaCoreEmployer

Task force on Outer Banks housing issues holds first meeting | Island Free Press The Dare County Affordable Housing Task Force held their inaugural meeting last week. The Task Force was created after a provision was put in the state budget to exempt affordable housing projects funded by the state from local zoning regulations. As we’ve discussed on many of our calls, multiple towns in Dare County strongly opposed the construction of affordable housing in their communities last year. Earlier this month, Dare County Commissioners passed a resolution to not use any of the $35M allocated in the state budget for building new affordable housing in Dare County.

Cities across NC are looking for ways to expand the housing supply through changes to planning and zoning regulations that promote density.

Allowing ADUs in more areas, relaxing parking regulations, and allowing larger ADUs Cary Could Allow More and Bigger Backyard Cottages | The Town of Cary is proposing an ordinance amendment that would broaden the locations where ADUs can be constructed. Last week, the Town hosted a virtual meeting for residents to provide input on the proposed ordinance. The Town plans to hold a public hearing later this year, before taking it to the Planning & Zoning Board and ultimately to Council for a vote.
Parking-free apartment living along transit lines Parking-free development aims to fill housing gap, reduce car-dependency | Two parking-free apartment developments are underway along the light rail in Charlotte. One of the developers, Grubb Properties, plans to pass the savings from not building on-site parking onto tenants by pricing half of the 104 units to be affordable to families earning 80% of the Area Median Income. Raleigh became the first city in NC to do away with parking minimums in 2022 and last year, Durham followed suit.
Allowing for taller, denser residential developments
- Winston-Salem city council to discuss potential changes to building height limits on Tuesday evening | Winston-Salem city officials are considering an amendment to their ordinances that would allow for taller residential buildings and increase the number of units allowed in townhome and multiplex buildings. The proposed ordinance change came about after city staff researched residential building height maximums and found that Winston Salem’s ordinances were significantly more stringent than peer cities like Wilmington, Durham, and Raleigh. A public hearing will be held on February 5.
- Raleigh debates adding density around its new bus rapid transit line Raleigh City Council will be voting later this month on a Transit Overlay District along the future Bus Rapid Transit Corridor. Last month, the Planning Board voted 4-3 against recommending the TOD. The TOD would allow housing developers to increase the maximum building height by 50% if they include a portion of affordable units. Some opponents of the TOD are concerned it will foster gentrification and displace longtime, low-income residents of color.