Organizational Update
We released our 2026 County Profiles!
If you want to see county profiles from this year click here.
If you want to see profiles from the past several years, here is a gallery that you can use to view and download past profiles
Register Today for NC Housing Day 2026!
On Tuesday, April 28, we will gather for training and networking, and on Wednesday, April 29, we will gather at Halifax Mall and meet with legislators at the General Assembly. Registration for NC Housing Day is open today through – April 3, 2026. NC Housing Day is hosted by Habitat for Humanity NC, the NC Housing Coalition, the NC Community Land Trust Coalition, and the NC Coalition to End Homelessness.
Register Now: Bringing It Home 2026
Register Now for this year’s Bringing It Home: Ending Homelessness in NC conference on May 27-28, 2026 at the McKimmon Center in Raleigh! Homelessness services professionals and allies will gather to learn, network, and collaborate with industry experts from across North Carolina and beyond. Register now, or check out our Bringing It Home 2026 Conference Page for more information. Contact skirby@nchousing.org with any questions.
NLIHC 2026 Policy Forum & Hill Day
Last week, Stephanie and Anna traveled to Washington, D.C. for the National Low Income Housing Coalition’s 2026 Policy Forum. Stephanie spoke on two panels – one about building political will amid Federal disarray and another on disaster related organizing at the state and local levels.
On Friday, our team wrapped up the week with meetings with members of the NC delegation on Capitol HIll. We met with the offices of Sens. Budd and Tillis, Reps. Edwards, Harrigan, Moore, Foushee & Ross. Thank you to these offices for taking the time out of their busy schedules to spend some time with us to discuss pending legislation, what we’re seeing on the ground here in NC, and ways we can continue to collaborate to bring more affordable housing to our state.
Federal Updates
21st Century ROAD to Housing Act Passes in Senate
The bipartisan 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act passed in the Senate with overwhelming support on Thursday, March 12. This legislation, which combines pieces of the Senate’s ROAD to Housing Act and the House’s Housing for the 21st Century Act, is the most significant housing package in more than 30 years. Republicans in the House are divided on the legislation after language limiting investor ownership of single-family homes was added in. The House Freedom Caucus has taken issue with several portions of the bill, including a provision to limit investor ownership of single-family homes and a provision related to the Federal Reserve issuing digital currency. The bill is expected to go into conference for the House and Senate to iron out their disagreements. Learn more about the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act here and here.
Trump issues two executives orders on housing
On Friday, March 13, the Trump administration signed two executive orders related to housing. The first order is aimed at increasing access to mortgages through community banks and the second is aimed at loosening construction regulations. There is concern that these executive orders could potentially complicate negotiations between the House and Senate on the 21st Century Road to Housing Act. Further complicating things, the President has indicated that he will not sign any legislation until Congress passes legislation requiring onerous proof of citizenship requirements for voter registration, which does not have the votes needed to pass.
A successful USDA program that has supported more than 533,000 affordable rental homes in rural America is getting phased out | The Conversation
An article published last week details the implications of the planned phasing out of the USDA Section 515 program. To date, the program has supported the creation of more than half a million homes in rural areas by offering developers below-market-rate loans to develop affordable housing. The last Section 515 loans were issued in 2011 and by 2050, almost all homes built through the program will have reached the end of their period of affordability. In recent years, housing affordability has become an issue not just for urban cities, but for rural areas as well. Congress and the USDA must take additional steps to preserve affordability in rural communities.
2026 GAP Report Released
Earlier this month, the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) released the 2026 GAP Report which shows the affordable and available rental homes available by state for the lowest-income renters in our communities. The nationwide report found that NO STATE has an adequate supply of affordable rental housing for the lowest-income renters (again) this year.
In the report, North Carolina’s data shows that of the approximately 350,000 extremely low income renter households there is less than 134,000 affordable and available to them. For more highlights, see our post here.
State Updates
Upcoming Legislative Committee Meetings
There are a couple of key House committee meetings tomorrow:
To view the legislative calendar and the links to each committee’s respective materials and details, click here.
Wednesday – March 18
9:30am – House Select Committee on Involuntary Commitment and Public Safety
10:00am – House Select Committee on Property Tax Reduction and Reform
April 2026
Governmental Operations, Subcommittee on Hurricane Response & Recovery will meet on April 2 at 10:00am.
Local Headlines
U.S. HUD secretary returns to Asheville to assess long-term Helene recovery needs | WLOS
Developer Engages in a Community-Centered Process To Create Senior Housing | HUD
How Durham, North Carolina, kick-started affordable housing development | Smart Cities Dive
Crystal Towers residents distrust city housing authority | yesweekly.com
Wake County shelter receives $850K federal grant for upgrades | NC Newsline
Agreements reached in Duke Energy merger | WPTF
Affordable housing tax loophole threatens to drain local government budgets in NC | NC Newsline
North Carolina lawmakers want to revamp property tax relief programs for seniors | NC Newsline
Reports, Events, and Resources
America’s Rental Housing 2026 | Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University | Full Report | Summary
2026 The GAP Report | National Low Income Housing Coalition | Full Report | NC Profile
The Cost of Fragmentation: A Comparison of State Affordable Housing Finance Governance Systems | Terner Center
From Deposits to Fees, Renters Struggle with Up-Front Costs | Joint Center for Housing Studies
More States Requiring Landlords to Disclose Flood Risk, but Laws Vary Nationwide | Joint Center for Housing Studies
UNC School of Government Community Development Academy | March 17-19 and April 14-16, 2026 in Chapel Hill, Course Cost: $935
This intensive course is designed for community development practitioners and covers the concepts, methods, and strategies of community economic development. It provides practitioners with perspectives and practical skills surrounding community development in North Carolina.
[webinar] The City Perspective on Housing | NC League of Municipalities, Thursday, March 19, 2-3 p.m. Learn more and register here. Note: You must be a member of the North Carolina League of Municipalities in order to sign up. Many NC municipalities are members.
2026 Rural Summit | March 26-27 at the Raleigh Marriott Crabtree Valley – registration is now closed.
[webinar] The Impact of the Uniform Partition of Heirs’ Property Act: Local Lessons and the Way Forward | Urban Institute, Monday, March 30, 12-4 p.m. Learn more and register here.
Just Economy Conference 2026 | National Community Reinvestment Coalition, April 14-15, 2026 at the Washington Hilton Hotel in Washington, D.C. Learn more and register here.
Registration is now open for the 2026 CAHEC Partners Conference! | This year’s conference will be Tuesday, June 9 – Wednesday, June 10 at the Raleigh Convention Center. The registration deadline is May 22. Learn more and register here.
