Organizational Updates
Participate in Our 2027-2028 Policy Agenda Development – Network Wide Survey Open until July 12, 2026.
In preparation for next year’s long state legislative session, the NC Housing Coalition is developing our 2027-2028 Policy Agenda, and we need your input. Every two years, we consult our membership across the housing ecosystem–from homelessness services to affordable housing development–in order to build a robust, high-impact policy agenda that addresses housing Supply, Subsidy, Stability, and Systems in North Carolina. This policy agenda will guide our state legislative advocacy for the next two years, which is why it is critical to get your perspective and expertise. Share your input for our 2027-2028 Policy Agenda by July 12, and be on the lookout for more updates as we develop our legislative priorities with you.
Federal Updates
21st Century ROAD to Housing Act May Finally Pass in Congress this Week, Opportunity for Advocacy
Last week, the House and Senate finally reached an agreement on the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act and yesterday afternoon, the Senate voted 85-5 to pass the first Comprehensive Bipartisan housing package in over a decade. The bill now heads to the House, where it is expected to be voted on in the next few days.
As you may recall, we’ve been talking about iterations of this bill since last summer. With approaching midterm elections in November, elected officials on both sides of the aisle feel the pressure to show voters that they are doing something in response to affordable housing becoming more out of reach for more and more families.
A section-by-section summary is also available here. Provisions include:
- Authorizing the CDBG-DR program for three years
- Authorizing the PRICE program (provides grants to local communities for the preservation of manufactured housing) for seven years
- Removing the chassis requirement for manufactured homes
- Decoupling rental assistance in rural areas from maturing mortgages to help preserve affordable rental and homeownership opportunities for rural low-income families
- Streamlining HCV inspection processes
- Prohibiting large institutional Investors from purchasing certain single-family homes.
- Increasing the Public Welfare Investment cap from 15% to 20% to increase banks’ capacity to make private investments in affordable housing.
State Updates
HB 437: Drug Free Homeless Service Zones/Unauthorized Public Camping
HB437 is a dangerous bill targeting the most vulnerable North Carolinians. Rather than focusing on solutions, this bill criminalizes their crisis and adds more legal and financial pressures to the local communities and governments trying to serve them.
We have received overwhelming support from members across our housing ecosystem – including developers, local government, service providers, practitioners, ministers of faith, and advocates. Thank you to all of the more than 225 individuals and organizations who have already signed on!
This legislation is moving quickly in the NC General Assembly, The Senate is expected to vote on the bill soon, and then it will go back to the House for a concurrence vote.
Communities across North Carolina need practical, evidence-based solutions that expand access to housing, behavioral health care, shelter, employment, and supportive services. Policies that create unfunded mandates for local governments and service providers may ultimately divert resources away from these proven approaches
WHY WE ARE OPPOSING HB437
In its latest form, the bill does the following:
- Establishes criminal penalties for operators of service campuses if any person in or within 100 feet of their campus violates the drug free zone statute – meaning service providers, congregations, and government agencies could be held equally liable for the behavior of individuals outside of their control.
- Bans unauthorized camping or sleeping statewide, and asks local governments to establish designated encampment areas without providing any dedicated funds to support new initiatives. Localities would be responsible for the administration and financing of designated areas, including, but not limited to, site acquisition and facilities, sanitation, policing and public safety, and staffing.
- Permits holding localities legally accountable for unauthorized public camping and/or being unable to establish designated encampment areas that do not meet the requirements of the bill.
The sponsors and supporters of this bill claim that it will create safer, more humane conditions for people experiencing homelessness. In practice, the proposed law will further criminalize the housing crisis and penalize organizations and local governments for visible homelessness, while providing no additional funding or resources to meet the requirements within the bill. Arrests and penalties will only make it more difficult for North Carolinians to access services that end their homelessness and will place further staffing and budgetary constraints on localities and their law enforcement agencies.
Contact your representatives today to oppose H437: tell them to stop criminalizing homelessness and focus on evidence-based housing solutions. To read the latest version of the bill click here. To find your members of the NC General Assembly, click here.
Sign on to the letter TODAY! Oppose HB437!
Legislative Updates
The parking lot reform bill (HB 162) that would eliminate parking minimums statewide goes before the Senate this morning.
On Friday, Gov. Stein signed SB 889 into law. This law temporarily blocks new property tax appraisals from being implemented in counties with more than 15,000 people. He also urged the Senate to pass SB 474, which would make small adjustments to the counties subject to SB 889 and notably shield Buncombe County from the property tax moratorium. Gov. Stein noted that he is concerned that SB 889 would impact Buncombe County’s ability to recover from Hurricane Helene.
State & Local Headlines
A three-university collaborative, including the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, selected as one of 10 academic teams advancing in the inaugural Housing Innovation Challenge | UNC School of Government Carolinas Across 100
Veterans Housing in Asheville to Receive Substantial Rehabilitation After Hurricane Helene Damage | NC Housing Finance Agency
City-Owned Land to Become New Affordable Housing in Downtown Raleigh | City of Raleigh
$70M in bonds headed to November ballot after Buncombe board vote | Asheville’s 828 News NOW
Helping Homeless Residents in the Border Belt | Border Belt Independent
Reports, Events, and Resources
The State of the Nation’s Housing 2026 | Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University
- Low-cost housing remains scarce despite new construction softening vacancy rates
- Cost Burden is at a record high for renters and is rising for homeowners.
- Federal assistance is deeply inadequate, which in turn puts the pressure on states and localities.
Who is Responsible for Local Government Emergency Shelters in North Carolina? | UNC School of Government – Coates’ Canons
North Carolina’s Population: Growth and Demographic Shifts | NC Housing Finance Agency
NC grew by 560K people from 2020-2025… 243K of that was in Wake and Mecklenburg counties, and 88K of that was Guilford, Durham, Forsyth, and Newhanover.
[webinar] Federal Fair Housing Basics | Justice in Aging, Wednesday, June 24 from 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. ET. Learn more and register here.
The National Fair Housing Alliance is hosting their 2026 Conference, “Building the Future We Deserve: Solutions for America’s Fair and Affordable Housing Crisis” from June 27-30 at the Capital Hilton in D.C. Virtual and in person registration options available (registration cost varies). Learn more and register here.
[webinar] National Low Income Housing Coalition, Disaster Housing Recovery: Advocacy Toolkit Training, Tuesday, June 30, 2:00 – 3:30 p.m. ET. Learn more and register here.
The National Alliance to End Homelessness is hosting their 2026 conference and Capitol Hill Day from July 8-10 in D.C. Standard rate: $985. Learn more and register here.
Charlotte Planners’ Meetup | NC Chapter of the American Planning Association, Thursday, July 9 from 6-8 p.m. at Hopfly Brewing in Southend. Open to all planners and related fields.
