County-Wide Program Ready to Help Residents Facing Eviction

Chapel Hill and Orange County residents and families facing eviction can seek assistance through the Orange County Housing Helpline and the Eviction Diversion Program.

The Housing Helpline connects people with eviction diversion, homeless services, and other resources and can be reached during business hours at 919-245-2655 or housinghelp@orangecountync.gov.

“The Housing Helpline is a resource available to anyone in housing crises in Orange County,” said Sarah Vinas, Interim Director of Housing and Community with the Town of Chapel Hill. “We are grateful for our partnership with Orange County, the Town of Carrboro, and the Town of Hillsborough to meet the housing needs of residents during this challenging time.”

Since launching in April 2020, the Housing Helpline has served nearly 8,600 households and responded to more than 23,000 calls and 17,000 emails. Calls are answered live in more than 200 languages from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Voicemails and emails will be responded to during business hours.

Staff can assist with several programs, including the Orange County Eviction Diversion Program (EDP), which provides free legal representation for individuals and families threatened with eviction. More than 1,800 households in Orange County have accessed nearly $7.3 million in rental and utility assistance since March 2020. Over 675 Chapel Hill households have received assistance during this same period. The EDP has assisted more than 240 Orange County Households facing eviction since its creation in July 2020, allowing residents to remain in their home or obtain additional time to find an alternative residence. The EDP can be accessed through the Housing Helpline at 919-245-2655 or housinghelp@orangecountync.gov, or directly through the EDP Intake Form.

The Orange County Emergency Housing Assistance (EHA) program, funded by the towns of Chapel Hill, Carrboro, Hillsborough, and Orange County, also continues to assist people with rent, mortgage, and utility payments. People can apply online. In-person help is available on Tuesdays between 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. at Southern Human Services Center (2501 Homestead Road, Chapel Hill). For help over the phone or by email, contact the Housing Helpline.

The recently-reopened HOPE Program provides rent and utility assistance for renters who meet income requirements. New HOPE applicants can apply online. Returning HOPE applicants can call (888) 927-5467 to speak with someone about their application.

Now Accepting Applications to Create Affordable Housing Opportunities

The Town of Chapel Hill is accepting applications to fund affordable housing development and preservation projects in the community through noon Friday, October 1st, 2021.

Awards will be made from the Town’s Affordable Housing Development Reserve (AHDR), established by the Town Council in March 2015. Since its creation, the Town has supported the development of 296 units of affordable housing with funding from the AHDR. The total funding available this fiscal year in the Affordable Housing Development Reserve is $688,395.

The Town of Chapel Hill will accept applications for the following priority project areas:

• Land bank and land acquisition

• Rental subsidy and development

• Homeownership development and assistance

• Future development planning

The Town’s Housing Advisory Board will evaluate applications and present a funding recommendation to the Town Council for final approval in October 2021. There will be up to two additional funding cycles this fiscal year (July 1, 2021 – June 30, 2022), until funding is exhausted.

The application deadline is 12:00 pm Friday, October 1st, 2021.  To access the application and learn more, visit https://bit.ly/32zt4oy.

Congressman David Price Visits Homestead Gardens Mixed-Income Affordable Housing Project Site

On Wednesday, August 18th, Congressman David Price of North Carolina’s 4th congressional district visited the Homestead Gardens site, the future location of 117 units of mixed-income, affordable housing, located at 2200 Homestead Road. Town managers and staff and members of the development team attended to welcome Con. Price, including Dan Levine and Graham Smokoski of Self-Help Ventures Fund, Jess Brandes of CASA, Jennifer Player of Habitat for Humanity of Orange County, and Kimberly Sanchez of Community Home Trust. 

The Homestead Gardens project is one of ten projects selected from the 4th congressional district as a finalist for Community Project Funding (CPF), a new federal funding initiative for Fiscal Year 2022 that allows members of Congress to request direct funding for projects that benefit the communities they represent and show evidence of strong community support. As Chair of the Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development within the Congressional Appropriations Committee, Con. Price has served a key role in informing his district about the opportunity and advocating for projects. The Homestead Gardens team is grateful for Con. Price’s advocacy efforts for this project and look forward to hearing more about the final CPF awards when the FY 2022 federal budget is approved, possibly in fall 2021.

Learn more about the Town’s Homestead Gardens project here. 

Indy Week: Several New Affordable Housing Developments Could Help Folks Stay in Chapel Hill

See this recent Indy Week feature on our upcoming affordable housing development projects.

Data-Smart City Solutions: Using Maps to Combat Displacement

The Harvard Kennedy School’s Data Smart City Solutions group highlighted our work using GIS and mapping to engage manufactured home residents. Check out the full article here.

CDBG Program Update

Good news! The Town of Chapel Hill will be receiving an increased 2021-2022 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) award. The new award of $418,300 is $6,024 more than the original amount allocated by Town Council in the approved 21-22 CDBG program plan. The Council will consider a recommendation on June 9th to add the increased funding to Neighborhood Revitalization projects that further affordable housing initiatives in Chapel Hill. See the full 2021-2022 CDBG Program Plan on our website here.

Town Council Approves Affordable Housing Development Project at 2200 Homestead Road

The Chapel Hill Town Council has approved an affordable housing development on Town-owned land at 2200 Homestead Road. The project will include about 120 affordable homes, with a combination of apartments, townhomes and duplexes that serve a range of household incomes from less than $18,000 to a little over $100,000. The site plan also includes a variety of community amenities, including a multi-use greenway path, walking trails, a basketball court, and a community garden.

The Homestead Project is the latest example of the Town’s strategy to use Town land to support the development of affordable housing in Chapel Hill, where 58% of renters and 23% of homeowners are cost-burdened, or spend more than 30% of their income on housing expenses.  The Homestead Project, and other similar development projects planned and under way, will help the Town address the community’s great need for affordable housing with a goal of adding 400 units of affordable housing in five years.  “We are very excited about 2200 Homestead,” said Mayor Pam Hemminger. “Chapel Hill values being an inclusive community and, by providing land and working with our partners, we are creating a welcoming community and a special place for people to call home.” 

Since 2017, the Town has worked closely with its design and engineering team, comprised of MHAworks and CJT, PA to develop and refine a site plan that will create an inclusive, mixed-income community offering a variety of housing types that serve a variety of housing needs. The Town has also worked closely with its prospective development team, the Homestead Housing Collaborative, a unique collaboration of local affordable housing developers.  The Collaborative partners will achieve the project’s vision by each bringing their development expertise to the project:

• Self-Help Ventures Fund, as master developer and site developer

• CASA, as developer of rental apartment units

• Community Home Trust, as developer of for-sale townhomes

• Habitat for Humanity of Orange County, as developer of for-sale duplexes

The Homestead Project will be financed by a variety of public and private funding sources, including awards from the Town of Chapel Hill and Orange County affordable housing bonds.  With Council approval for the rezoning of the site in hand, the development team will apply for the permits needed to begin construction, with a goal of breaking ground in early 2022.  

Jay Street Project Update

Jay Street Concept Plan

A concept plan for an affordable housing development has been submitted for the Town-owned land at 110 Jay Street. The Town’s potential development partners, Taft-Mills Group and the Community Home Trust, submitted the concept plan application in March 2021 and the preliminary concept includes about 50 affordable apartments in two, 3-story garden style buildings, with a community center and pedestrian facilities. 

You can learn more about the project and provide input on the plan…

• The project website provides background info, FAQs, project updates, and invites readers to submit comments and feedback.

• The team hosted a virtual community meeting on Thursday, April 22 at 6pm.

• The Community Design Commission (May 10th at 3pm) and the Housing Advisory Board (May 11 at 6:30pm) have provided feedback on the development idea. Recordings of these meetings are available here.

• Town Council provided feedback on the project at the Council meeting on May 19.

Town Council Approves Nearly $1 Million for Community Development Programs

On January 27, the Chapel Hill Town Council approved an updated 2020-2021 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program plan allocating almost $1 million of funding to support relief efforts for Chapel Hill residents struggling due to the COVID-19 pandemic and other community development needs.  Highlights of the plan include funding for:

1. 14 Neighborhood Support Circles (NSC) for the spring semester through a collaboration with Refugee Community Partnership, providing neighborhood-based remote learning support and childcare for low-income school age children, allowing parents to return to work and helping the children succeed in school. 

2. Remote learning scholarships for students to attend scholastic support programs to have a safe, structured place for virtual learning, guided by education specialists.

3. Two Community Health Workers, or Promotoras, for El Centro Hispano Inc.’s Latino Outreach Program to provide outreach and education to the Latinx community about COVID-19 and vaccination efforts, arrange delivery of supplies like masks, food and diapers, and help access available resources through translation and referrals.

4. Continued operation of the Town’s weekly Food Bank.  

5. Increased funding for the Emergency Housing Assistance program administered by Orange County that provides temporary rent and utility assistance.

Funding in the plan that was already allocated to programs for home repairs, homebuyer assistance, homeless case management, and parenting classes remain unchanged.

Town Affordable Housing Partnership with DHIC Wins State’s Highest Award

North Carolina’s top honor for excellence in affordable housing was recently awarded to The Greenfield Community in Chapel Hill.  Created as a unique public-private partnership between DHIC and the Town of Chapel Hill, the Greenfield Community was financed with Town funding, federal low-income housing tax credits awarded by the North Carolina Housing Finance Agency, Orange County funding, and land donated by the Town.

Developed by DHIC, Greenfield Place and Greenfield Commons, which together make up the Greenfield Community, provide 149 apartment homes for seniors and working families. Floor plans are offered in one-, two- and three-bedroom floor plans with rents ranging from $290 to $890 per month. This community serves households with incomes at or below 60% of the area median income, and renters can save more than 40% compared to market rate apartments in the area.

To watch the North Carolina Housing Finance Agency award ceremony, visit youtube.com/watch?v=mU9QFrEVQKM.