Policy Update 12-15-22 – North Carolina Housing Coalition

NCHC Updates

NCHC Policy Agenda Committee wraps up their work
The Policy Agenda Committee concluded their last meeting last Friday December 2, 2022. Using feedback from a range of experts, the feedback gathered from community stakeholders via the survey we released a few weeks ago, they prioritized the policy agenda and several strategies that we will be publishing in the coming weeks. A big thank you to those that participated on the committee and those that took the time to complete the surveys released to inform the direction of our agenda this upcoming year.

Federal Updates

Congress plans to pass a continuing resolution this week
Appropriators in Congress are still working to reach an agreement on a final spending bill for fiscal year (FY) 2023. The deadline is Friday, but Congress is expected to pass a stopgap measure any day now to buy another week of time for negotiations. While talks are continuing, Democrats and Republicans haven’t reached an agreement on the topline numbers for defense and nondefense spending, with a $26 billion difference on the total amount for domestic spending. The FY23 spending bill is one of the last opportunities this year for Congress to make robust investments in affordable housing and homelessness programs. Congress must not pass up the chance to provide the significant funding needed to ensure safe, affordable, and accessible housing for all.

Support grows for the Neighborhood Homes Investment Act
124 bipartisan US lawmakers have pledged support for the Neighborhood Homes Investment Act (NHIA), which would offer a tax incentive to developers to minimize their risk when building or rehabilitating existing housing. If passed, the legislation could lead to the development of 500,000 starter homes in struggling communities over the next decade in addition to $29.3 billion in federal, state and local tax revenues and fees, $42.9 billion in wages and salaries, and over 780,000 jobs in construction and construction-related industries.

Oregon Senator introduces bill to limit corporate landlord properties
U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley (D) of Oregon introduced legislation to limit the number of homes that can be owned by corporate landlords. Merkley is pushing a bill to limit the number of single-family houses a company can own to 100. The penalty would be a $20,000 fine for each home over 100 homes. Companies with more than 100 homes would be able to sell their homes over multiple years to come into compliance. The bill also has incentives to encourage the companies to sell to “ordinary people who will live in the home.”

State Updates

NCORR seeks public comment on CDBG-DR, CDBG-MIT plans
The N.C. Office of Recovery and Resiliency (NCORR) is seeking public comment on proposed amendments to three action plans for Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) and Community Development Block Grant-Mitigation (CDBG-MIT) funds in areas of the state impacted by hurricanes Matthew and Florence. Comment periods opened on Dec. 9 and close at 5 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 9, 2023 for CDBG-DR and Monday, Jan. 23, 2023 for CDBG-Mitigation. Draft action plan amendments and more details can be found on NCORR’s website.

State Hurricane Response & Recovery meeting occurs this week
The Joint Legislative Commission on Governmental Operations, Subcommittee on Hurricane Response & Recovery met Wednesday, December 14 at 10:00am to share updates from September. Keep an eye out for updates from the Coalition on how the meeting went.

Local Updates

Outreach Mission, Inc. plans Sanford’s first co-ed emergency shelter
Outreach Mission, Inc. received support from the Truist foundation to help fund the construction of a new community shelter in Sanford. The shelter will be the first co-ed shelter in Sanford, with spaces for both men and women. It will have 76 beds and space for families to stay together.

Winston Salem breaks ground on new affordable apartments
The Winston Salem Housing Authority broke ground on a new affordable housing community funded through HUD’s Choice Neighborhoods Initiative Grant. 81 units will be built at the site, which is just the beginning of a five-phase plan to build more than 400 units over the next 4 years in the Northeast Winston-Salem Community. The units are expected to be a mix of one, two, three and four-bedroom apartments.

Davidson residents face uncertainty as LIHTC project expires
Residents of an affordable apartment building with LIHTC financing in Davidson are facing uncertainty as the affordability period for the project is set to expire. Residents were notified that monthly rent will go up, although there’s been some back and forth about how much. They are concerned that those who cannot afford the rent increase likely can’t afford to move out. A meeting has been scheduled between the nonprofit property owners and residents at 4:30 p.m. on Dec. 15 in the community building on the property.

Cary plans affordable housing on town-owned land
The Town of Cary is partnering with a developer to build affordable housing on town-owned land. The plan is to build a 126-unit mixed income apartment community. 64 apartments will be designated affordable with 25 units reserved for residents who make 80% of the area median income (AMI), 26 for residents earning 50% AMI and 13 units for those under 30% AMI. The apartments will be powered completely by rooftop solar panels and are situated along a future bus rapid transit route between Cary and Raleigh.

26 affordable apartments are underway in Concord
Construction began on a new affordable housing community in Concord. The Lincoln Street Townhomes will have 26 affordable units designed to increase homeownership in the area. The project is funded in part through the American Rescue Plan Act and officials say it will be one of the most significant homeownership efforts in the historic Logan Community.

Construction begins on affordable senior apartments in Charlotte
In Charlotte, the West Side Community Land Trust broke ground on a $31 million project that will bring 120 senior affordable apartments to the West Boulevard corridor. The one- and two-bedroom apartments on West Boulevard will rent between $474 and $1,516, for seniors 55 and older with incomes between 30% and 80% of the area median income.

Wilmington households plan to return home after mold remediation
150 households in Wilmington were displaced from their homes and living in hotels last year due to mold issues in Wilmington Housing Authority properties. The Wilmington Housing Authority has been remediating the mold and is projecting that all 150 families who were displaced will be back in their apartments by spring of 2023.

Charlotte allocates $20M to affordable housing, emptying Housing Trust Fund
At their meeting early this month, the Charlotte City Council voted to spend $20 million to help 8 affordable housing projects keep rent affordable. Together, the projects will provide more than 600 new housing units. To fund the projects, the City is allocating the remaining balance of the city’s Housing Trust Fund as well as some American Rescue Plan Act funding.

Events

[documentary] Aftermath: North Carolina Hurricane Victims Left Behind | WRAL-TV premieres Tuesday 12/13, 7:30 p.m. Documentary investigates why victims of Hurricane Matthew and Hurricane Florence are still waiting to go home.

[in-person] Housing Policy Forum 2023 | NLIHC 3/21-23, 2023 in Washington, D.C. Registration is now open.

Reports & Resources

NLIHC and the United Native American Housing Association released a new report: Serving Native American Households Using ERA | NLIHC

Energy Insecurity Threatens To Destabilize Households This Winter | Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies

Designing New Programs To Narrow Racial Homeownership Gaps | Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies

Revisiting the Community Land Trust: An Academic Literature Review | Community Development Blog, UNC School of Government

The Homes And Neighborhoods Of Older Adults Shape Their Vulnerability To Climate Change | Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies

Keeping North Carolina’s Housing Affordable | Cato Institute

In the News

Opinion: In this season of giving, let’s provide more affordable housing | The Hill

Discrimination Seeps Into Every Aspect of Home Buying for Black Americans | NY Times

‘Living in despair and hopelessness’: A lack of affordable housing can put people’s health at risk | CNN Health