Organizational Updates
Register Now: NC Affordable Housing Conference
Early bird registration for The 2026 NC Affordable Housing Conference is now open! Get our best rate by registering before close of business on September 24 at 5 pm and check out the agenda to see what we have in store for our attendees. Don’t miss this opportunity to connect with industry leaders, exchange ideas and drive positive change. The 2026 NC Affordable Housing Conference will be held on October 22–23 at the Raleigh Convention Center.
Federal Updates
House Passes Continuing Resolution, Reconciliation Package
Last week, the House passed two potential budget measures – a Continuing Resolution that would extend funding for Federal programs and services through early December and a $95 billion reconciliation package budget proposal. Both bills now head to the Senate, where they are expected to face more pushback. Senate Majority Leader John Thune has signaled support for the continuing resolution over the reconciliation package.
House Adjourns for August Recess, Senate Intent on Keeping Recess
On Thursday House members adjourned for August recess and returned to their home states and districts for the annual August recess. The Senate is still moving forward with plans for an August recess despite pressure from the President to stay in Washington and focus on passing the SAVE Act (a voter suppression bill). Recess is an excellent opportunity to reach out to your elected officials to discuss the need for better and more consistent housing investments and invite them to see your work.
OUT OF REACH REPORT 2026
On Thursday, July 23, the National Low Income Housing Coalition released its annual Out of Reach report highlighting the gap between the wages people earn and the price of decent rental housing in every state, metropolitan area, and county in the United States.
- Nationally, a full-time worker must earn $29.19 per hour to afford a one-bedroom rental home and $34.73 per hour to afford a two-bedroom rental home at Fair Market Rent (FMR).
- In NC, the FMR for a two-bedroom apartment is $1,410. In order to afford this level of rent and utilities — without paying more than 30% of income on housing — a household must earn $4,699 monthly or $56,385 annually. Assuming a 40-hour work week, 52 weeks per year, this level of income translates into an hourly Housing Wage of $27.11 per hour.
- The average NC renter earns $22.55/hr, which is not enough to afford a modest 1 OR 2-bedroom apartment at Fair Market Rent in NC.
- In nonmetropolitan NC, nursing assistants, warehouse stockers, home health aides, janitors, restaurant cooks, secretaries and administrative assistants do not earn enough to afford a modest 1-bedroom unit.
- Fast food cooks earning a typical salary cannot afford a 1-bedroom apartment in any of NC’s 100 counties.
State Updates
NCGA Returns This Week
Lawmakers at the NC General Assembly return this week after a three week break. This week the Senate is scheduled to be in session, and next week the House. The focus areas are said to be a budget technical corrections bill (released yesterday – includes funding for capital and infrastructure projects and the State Bureau of Investigations), appointments, possible regulatory reform legislation, and an adjournment resolution (also released yesterday) for this session. Once they adjourn, be on the lookout for a short legislative session summary from the Coalition.
The adjournment resolution lays out the schedule for the remainder of the short session (subject to further changes):
- Adjourn Thursday, August 6, 2026*
- Reconvene Monday, August 31, 2026, Adjourn Wednesday, September 2, 2026
- Reconvene Monday, September 28, 2026, Adjourn Wednesday, September 30, 2026
- Reconvene Monday, October 26, 2026, Adjourn Wednesday October 28, 2026
- Reconvene Monday, November 16, 2026, Adjourn Thursday November 19, 2026
- Reconvene Monday November 30, 2026, Adjourn Friday. December 18, 2026
* After August 6, they will only consider bills vetoed by the Governor (including HB 437), bills related to appointments, constitutional amendments, election laws, or adoption of conference reports, and bills sent to the House by August 6 for a concurrence vote.
Disaster Recovery: Renew NC Launches Pre-Screening Tool
Renew NC recently launched a prescreening tool to help potential applicants prepare for the upcoming launch of the Workforce Housing for Ownership (WHFO) Program. Prescreening provides an initial review to help determine whether proposed Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) projects align with federal requirements, meet a national objective, and demonstrate financial feasibility. Of the $1.4 billion in CDBG-DR funding allocated by HUD to the state for Helene recovery, $53.38 million is allocated for the WHFO Program. Click here to learn more.
Local Headlines
North Carolina’s Threat to Legal Assistance for the Poor (no paywall) | The Atlantic
Calls for housing and rent assistance continue to trend high in Triangle, call data shows | WRAL
Amid the affordable housing gap, Triangle faith leaders turn sanctuaries into shelters | WUNC
Coalition earns results in getting property tax values reduced | newsoforange.com
Raleigh’s sub‑$1,000 rentals are vanishing. This new project offers a small fix | Raleigh News & Observer
Cary Town Council votes to table Lochmere affordable housing | WRAL
City of Fayetteville’s Homebuying HERO Program opens more doors to homeownership with revised guidelines | BizFayetteville
Reports & Resources
2025 Point-in-Time Count Highlights North Carolina’s Housing Challenges | NC Housing Finance Agency
Many Owners Cannot Afford to Maintain Aging Homes | Joint Center for Housing Studies
Survey: Cost Pressures Disrupt Affordable Housing Pipeline | Affordable Housing Finance
When churches become builders: New data chronicles the rise of the YIGBY movement | Planetizen Blogs
NMHC/NYU Housing Affordability Toolkit Underscores Need to Make LIHTC, Other Housing Programs Go Further | Novogradac
Events
National Women’s Affordable Housing Network (WAHN) Quarterly Housing Policy Update | July 30, 2026, 12-1 p.m. Registration cost: $25 for members $50 for non-members. Click here to learn more and register.
Join WAHN on Thursday, July 30, from 12:00-1:00 p.m. ET for a timely Quarterly Policy Update focused on the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act and what this landmark legislation means for affordable housing.
WAHN Policy Directors Emily Cadik, CEO of Affordable Housing Tax Credit Coalition and Jennifer Schwartz, Director of Tax and Housing Advocacy at National Council of State Housing Agencies (NCSHA) will be joined by Sarah Brundage, President and CEO of National Association of Affordable Housing Lenders (NAAHL) for a conversation about what’s in the ROAD Act, what happens next, and the opportunities and challenges ahead as implementation begins.
Save the Date: 2027 CAHEC Partners Conference | June 8-9, 2027 at the Raleigh Convention Center. Click here to learn more.
