Housing Call: October 17, 2023 – North Carolina Housing Coalition

NCHC Updates

2023 Housing Works Conference registration is closed! Due to the conference taking place next week, there will be no Housing Call next week. However, we look forward to seeing many of you there!
LAST WEEK – County Profiles & NCHC Resource Feedback

We want YOUR feedback – give us input about County Profiles as well as what other advocacy and policy resources and tools would be helpful for you. Survey will close in 3 days on October 20!

Link to feedback: https://airtable.com/appg5jNYCjPIllFWB/shrrvZA31WQ5bTXe8

Link to County Profile gallery (see past County profiles): https://airtable.com/appg5jNYCjPIllFWB/shrmGHAQ7ySWh8JqI/tblaeOws9FPgKsvZV

Federal Updates

HUD announced that $212 million in funding is available to expand the supply of affordable housing and supportive services for very-low and extremely-low-income persons with disabilities. The funding is available to participants in the Section 811 Supportive Housing for Persons with Disabilities program, which helps develop, subsidize, and provide supportive services for rental housing to meet the needs of this population.
The CFPB and Justice Department issued a joint statement reminding financial institutions that they may not discriminate against credit applicants based on their immigration status, as well as other characteristics covered by the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, including national origin and race. The statement was issued because consumers have reported being rejected for credit cards as well as for auto, student, personal, and equipment loans because of their immigration status, even when they have strong credit histories and ties to the United States and are otherwise qualified to receive the loans.
Ohio Representative Jim Jordan is the latest nominee for House speaker and lawmakers plan to vote on whether to elect him later this afternoon. It’s unsure if he’ll have enough support to win. Majority Leader Steve Scalise had hoped to be selected as speaker last week after he won a 113-99 vote over Jordan to be the nominee. But Scalise dropped out of the race Thursday after the number of his opponents grew to 20. If Jordan does not win the vote, the House will start back at square one. Without a speaker, the chamber is unable to pass legislation, including spending bills. Delays in electing a speaker could increase the risk of a government shutdown in November, when lawmakers must either enact another CR or pass final spending bills to avoid a shutdown. Acting Speaker Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.) doesn’t currently have the power to move bills on the floor, but there’s increasing talk of empowering him temporarily so that the House can move legislation like government funding and aid to Israel.

State Updates

State health officials announced that federal regulators have given their final approval for North Carolina to move forward with Medicaid expansion. The state will begin offering benefits on December 1. An estimated 600,000 adults aged 19-64 who earn too much for traditional Medicaid but too little for subsidized private insurance are expected to benefit in North Carolina.

State Legislative Updates

No votes taken last week, still awaiting a timeline on tech corrections bill. Lawmakers have mentioned their goal is to wrap up session by November meaning several votes could happen towards the end of this month.

Local Community Updates

The Concord City Council voted to add a zoning overlay district with design standards that will permit the development of tiny homes and cottage homes. The newly created Neighborhood Infill Residential District can be applied to land designated Urban Neighborhood by the 2030 Land Use Plan.
Volunteers with Habitat for Humanity of Orange County began work on the new Weavers Grove community in Chapel Hill. The community will ultimately have 102 Habitat homes, 40 single-family market rate homes and 90 condos. The mixed-use community will also have a playground, a splash pad and a community center in addition to bringing more affordable housing to the area.
Residents of Chatham Estates mobile home park in Cary are concerned about the future of their homes if the community is sold. Chatham Estates is one of the few affordable places left to live in the fast-growing town. It was put on the market in March, but as of this month, there is no buyer. Local nonprofits, like ONE Wake, are working to help residents organize. Residents say they are taking the matter to the ballot box to hold candidates to their promises of making Cary a place where everyone can live.
Additional details are emerging on the lawsuit filed by Dare County municipalities challenging a provision in the state budget. The provision exempts affordable housing projects funded by the state from local zoning regulations. The state legislature allocated $35 million to Dare County to build new affordable housing, but the contractor hired by the county to build a 400-unit development has faced opposition over the locations it’s considering for the project. House Speaker Tim Moore confirmed that the provision was added at the request of legislators from the area to overcome issues with zoning.

Reports & Resources

Racial Disparities in Homelessness Persist: A Data Snapshot | National Alliance to End Homelessness
Expanding Affordable Housing Opportunities: Zoning and Land Use Case Studies | Bipartisan Policy Center
How To See The Housing Sector: Herbert Hoover’s Department Of Commerce And The Origins Of The Nation’s Housing Data Ecosystem | Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies
With Existing Inventories Historically Low, Homebuyers Turn To The New Home Market | Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies
Home Prices And Interest Rates Still Rising, Shutting Out More Potential Homebuyers | Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies
Preparing Underinvested Communities for New Funding | Shelterforce
The Affordable Housing Crisis Grows While Efforts to Increase Supply Fall Short | U.S. Government Accountability Office
Home value and housing market trends in North Carolina | Independent Tribune

Events

[in person] Durham Candidates Meet and Greet | League of Women Voters, 10/22 from 3:00 – 5:00 p.m. at Duke Memorial United Methodist Church, 504 W. Chapel Hill St., Durham.
[in-person] Greensboro Housing Coalition is hosting their annual Housing Summit on October 26, 2023 from 8:00am to 2:00pm. Registration link can be accessed here.
[virtual] Our Homes, Our Votes: Housing is Built with Ballots | National Low Income Housing Coalition, 2-part webinar: 10/12 and 10/26, 2:30 p.m.
[virtual] Are Millennials Leading a Back to the City Movement or Moving to the Suburbs? | Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies on October 27, 2023 at 12:15
[in person] The NC Center for NonProfits is hosting their annual Conference on November 2-3 at the Benton Convention Center in Winston-Salem to connect with nonprofit colleagues, learn from experts and practitioners, and share insight
[virtual] Homelessness is a Housing Problem| Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies on November 3, 2023 at 12 noon
[virtual and in-person] The State of Housing Design 2023| Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies on November 17, 2023