Policy Update 11-2-22 – North Carolina Housing Coalition

NCHC Updates

The 2022 County Profiles feedback survey is now closed! Thanks to those of you who took the time to share your thoughts with us. Your responses provided valuable insight into how you use this tool and how we can best support you in your work. Our staff are busy discussing how to incorporate your ideas into the County Profiles and brainstorming additional NCHC resources to meet your needs.

Big themes that emerged from your feedback:

You use them, thank you!
You’d like to see more information about: eviction & foreclosure rates, homelessness, and median rents and mortgages.
You use these profiles across a variety of audiences: community members, elected officials, partner organizations, funders & donors, and volunteers.

Advocacy Opportunity
Sign your organization onto the Campaign for Housing and Community Development Funding’s letter, urging Congress to work together to ensure affordable housing and community development programs receive the highest funding possible in fiscal year 2023.

Source of Income Discrimination Updates
We’ve made a few corrections and clarifications to our recent piece on the Source of Income Discrimination. The updated version can be found here and reflects the following cities’ adoptions of Source of Income resolutions and policies:

City of Raleigh – March 2021
City of Winston Salem – June 2022
City of Charlotte – July 2022
Mecklenburg County – September 2022

Federal Updates

HUD Announces Creation of the RUSH Program
Last week, HUD announced the creation of the Rapid Unsheltered Survivor Housing program (RUSH). The program provides longer-term direct rental assistance and supportive services for people at risk of or experiencing homelessness. This is great news after years of advocacy from NLIHC and other supporters. RUSH is similar to the Disaster Housing Assistance Program (DHAP), which both Republican and Democrat administrations have supported but FEMA has failed to activate in recent years. HUD will use $56 million in reallocated ESG funds to fund RUSH and has already made its first set of allocations ($6.7M) in response to Hurricane Ian in Florida.

HUD Releases DDAs, QCTs for 2023
The U.S. Dept. of Housing & Urban Development recently released 2023 difficult development areas (DDAs) and qualified census tracts (QCTs). LIHTC properties built in a DDA or QCT can boost their eligible basis by up to 30%. New QCT and DDA designations will go into effect January 1st, 2023. There are 13 NC counties on the non-metropolitan DDA list, and 10 different HUD Metro FMR areas and specific zip codes within them on the metropolitan DDA list. HUD makes these designations based on the modified small area fair market rents, FY2022 income limits, and 2020 Census population counts.

State Updates

Midterm Elections
We’re one week away from Election Day! NC early voting continues until 3pm on Saturday, Nov. 5. Polling places in NC will be open on election day from 6:30am-7:30pm.

Check out the 2022 NC Voter Guide here.
Charlotte ($50M) and Buncombe County ($40M) both have housing bond measures on the ballot

NCHFA Notice of Funds: Supportive Housing Development Program
The North Carolina Housing Finance Agency recently announced a notice of funds for their Supportive Housing Development Program’s 2023 funding cycle. Program guidelines and additional application information can be found on the Agency’s website.

Local Updates

Watauga Co. Nonprofit Receives Home Repair Funding
WAMY Community Action received a $7.5K donation from Bank of America to help preserve affording housing in Watauga County in WNC. This funding fills an urgent need for home repairs in the county. Last year, over half of all of the home repair requests WAMY received were deferred because there weren’t enough unrestricted funds to meet the county’s needs.

Asheville Allocates Funding to Housing Trust Fund, Amends Manufactured Housing Ordinance
Last week, Asheville City Council allocated $6M to the city’s Housing Trust Fund. This allocation comes from $6.5M in bond funds left from the 2016 housing bond. The remaining $500K will be set aside for activities on city-owned land. Next week, Buncombe County will vote on a $40M affordable housing bond.

Council also unanimously approved changes to the manufactured home ordinance. Previously, manufactured housing could not be replaced on a site that had previously had manufactured housing if the site was left vacant for more than 180 days. The new ordinance removes this time limit, which is expected to preserve naturally-occurring affordability in the state’s most expensive rental market.

Bridging the Digital Divide in a Charlotte Affordable Housing Community
NC organizations Eliminate the Digital Divide and the Center for Digital Equality hosted an event to address the digital divide last Thursday at an affordable housing community in Charlotte’s Westerly Hills neighborhood. More than 150 residents received free laptops and information about the FCC’s Affordable Connectivity Program.

Triangle Tax Assistance Programs for Low-Income Homeowners
Durham County and Orange County’s property tax assistance programs for low-income homeowners are accepting applications. Both programs expanded eligibility this year by reducing the length of time an applicant has to have lived in their home from 10 years to 5 years and have already received over double the total number of applications received last year.

Durham County Low-Income Homeowners Relief applications are being accepted through January 31
Orange County Longtime Homeowner Assistance program applications are being accepted through December 1

The Oak Foundation Donates to Weaver’s Grove Project in Orange County
Habitat for Humanity of Orange Co. announced last week that they received a $1M donation from the Oak Foundation for their Weaver’s Grove project, The 237-unit neighborhood will contain both market rate and Habitat homes.

Wake County Secures $47M to Preserve Affordable Housing
Wake County secured a $47M bank loan for their Affordable Housing Preservation Fund. This loan, combined with financial commitments from both the City of Raleigh and Wake County brings the Fund’s total to almost $62M. Developers and nonprofits that want to purchase, rehabilitate, or maintain affordable apartments can apply for loans from the Fund. The program is expected to preserve the naturally-occuring affordability of around 3,200 units over 15 years.

Rocky Mount Funds Local Shelter in Need
Rocky Mount City Council voted last week to award United Community Ministries Community Shelter $50K in CDBG-CV funds. City Council also voted earlier in October to award the shelter a $30K grant. This funding is expected to keep the community shelter, which has served 158 individuals this year, from being forced to shut its doors due to lack of funding.

Cumberland County Funding for Rent Assistance Program
Last week, Cumberland County Board of commissioners approved an infusion of $500K in ARPA dollars for the county’s rent assistance program. The County also expects to receive another $1.7M in ERA dollars that will go towards rent assistance. The program has been on hold since January, at which time it had provided over $14M in rent assistance. Applications were expected to reopen November 1.

Wilmington Donates Land to Cape Fear Habitat
Last week, Wilmington City Council approved the donation of 3 parcels of land on the city’s Northside to Cape Fear Habitat for Humanity. The organization will use the donated parcels to build affordable homes.

Upcoming Events

Conferences & Events

[hybrid] Livable Appalachia: Creative Housing Solutions | AARP NC, 11/3, 10am-2:30pm, Jubilee House Retreat Center in Abingdon, VA
Housing Lunch and Learn | Pisgah Legal Services, 11/9, 12:00-1:30pm @ First United Methodist in Hendersonville.
HFA Institute 2023 | NCSHA, January 8-13, Washington, D.C.
Registration is now open for the National Alliance to End Homelessness’s Innovations and Solutions for Ending Unsheltered Homelessness Conference. The conference will take place March 1–3, 2023, in Oakland, CA.

Webinars