Housing Call: May 16 2023 – North Carolina Housing Coalition

NCHC Organizational Update

Don’t forget!

Registered attendees can now view the recordings of each session by going to the Bringing It Home conference desktop page or mobile app and selecting the session on the agenda. Recordings will be available until August 3, 2023.

If you haven’t already, please take our post-conference surveys!

Day 2 survey (May 3): http://whova.com/portal/survey/biheh_202305/31339

Day 1 survey (May 2): http://whova.com/portal/survey/biheh_202305/31191

Federal Update

The Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act of 2023 ( 1557, H.R. 3238) was introduced in both the House and Senate last week. This piece of legislation is similar to legislation introduced in 2021. If passed, Novogradac estimates that this legislation would finance almost 2 million affordable homes over the next 10 years. Key provisions include:
Increasing Housing Credit allocations by restoring the 12.5% cap that expired in 2021 and further increase allocations by 50% over the next two years;
Lowering the 50% test bond financing threshold to 25 percent (starting in 2024);
Giving state Housing Finance Agencies the authority to provide a permanent 50% basis boost for properties serving extremely low-income tenants; and
Extending state Housing Authorities’ ability to provide 30% basis boosts to 4% tax credit projects, properties in Native American communities, and properties in rural areas.

In the call notes, we’ve linked an overview of the bill and key differences between this piece of legislation and prior legislation.

Call to Action (Federal Edition) – Part 1

Now that the Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act has been reintroduced we need to ensure NC Cosponsors – particularly Tillis & Budd – if you have connections or are willing to start engaging with us around this please let us know!

If your organization or you are able and willing to sign on the following letter by the ACTION Campaign – calling for Congress to support to newly introduced Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act (AHCIA) S.1557 and H.R. 3238 https://rentalhousingaction.org/action-sign-on-letter/#/2/

Debt Ceiling. President Biden is expected to meet with the “big 4” congressional leaders today. Congressional leaders and the president have indicated they plan to avoid a default, but the clock is ticking to reach a resolution. There are only 3 days remaining where both the House and Senate will be in sessions before the June 1 deadline. An article from the Associated Press that has been circulating widely online features National Low Income Housing Coalition President Diane Yentel explaining the “disastrous” consequences that would result from the GOP spending plan. While McCarthy’s bill is not likely to pass, Yentel and others fear that Democrats will agree to cuts to housing funding in an attempt to reach a negotiation, much like what happened in 2011 with the Budget Control Act, which led to 10 years of very low spending caps on domestic and defense programs that made it impossible to fund solutions to America’s housing and homelessness crisis at the scale needed.

Call to Action (Federal Edition) – Part 2

The National Low Income Housing Coalition invites advocates to participate in their “Spring into Action” campaign from May 8 to May 19, a two-week mobilization to speak out against budget cuts and push for Congress to make necessary investments in housing and homelessness programs. During this period, NLIHC encourages advocates to creatively express the importance of federal housing resources and convey to their members of Congress the devastating toll that these cuts, if enacted, would take on their communities. Check out NLIHC’s advocacy toolkit, “Oppose Dramatic Cuts to Federal Investments in Affordable Housing,” for talking points, sample social media messages, and more.

State Legislative Updates

The Senate released their budget yesterday afternoon and are set to vote on it this Wednesday and Thursday. Stay tuned for another piece comparing the three versions currently out and how they impact housing and community development investments.
As we continue to work through and make sense of the changes and differences between each of the budgets – here is what we have found so far – and what we anticipate.
Increases project capts for the workforce housing loan program, HOWEVER, does not include the increases that existed in the House Budget, it removes them.
It gives $10 million to “Supportive Housing Development Program” – $5 million for homeless veterans and $5 million for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault and human trafficking.
TCLI – Will get $83.8 across DHHS for each year of the biennium
Will likely go to conference – Senate has to pass first – will need help pressing our appropriations asks once it reaches that point

Be on the lookout for a piece later this week with more details!

Check out our bill tracker here and our gallery of bills that survived crossover here. Reach out to us if you have any questions.

Community Updates

Down Home NC’s Watauga chapter plans to ask Watauga County Commissioners at tonight’s meeting to adopt a minimum housing standard. Minimum housing standards protect renters by ensuring that their homes are safe, healthy, and habitable and allow them to address habitability issues without pursuing legal action. According to Down Home NC, 27 counties in NC have adopted minimum housing standards.
UNC Health and town staff presented a proposed $5M revolving loan fund for affordable housing in Chapel Hill at a recent town council meeting. If it goes forward, this would be the largest contribution a healthcare system has made towards affordable housing in NC. The revolving loan fund idea came about from town council feedback about the absence of affordable housing during the concept plan presentation for UNC Health’s development of an additional 8-10 medical office buildings at their Eastowne campus.
The public comment period for the NC Department of Health and Human Services’ Strategic Housing Plan is open until COB on May 24, 2023. The plan focuses on DHHS’s policies and resource decision making in creating and maximizing community-based housing opportunities for people with disabilities who are experiencing homelessness, living in an institution or at risk of institutionalization. Please submit feedback by emailing housing@dhhs.nc.gov.