Town Receives Exceptional Innovation Award for Affordable Housing Efforts

On September 8, 2022 the Town received an "Exceptional Innovation Award" from Community Home Trust (CHT) for the many ways that the Town is advancing affordable housing using creative strategies, such as inclusionary housing, master leasing, employee housing, local funding investments, development on Town land, and more.  The award was presented at CHT's annual meeting and block party at Southern Community Park. 

To learn more about the Town’s affordable housing efforts, visit www.chapelhillaffordablehousing.org. 

Town Releases Up to $7.8 Million to support Affordable Housing Projects

The Town of Chapel Hill is making up to $7.8 million available to support Town-initiated and outside agency affordable housing projects. Outside agency applications will be accepted through noon Friday, September 30. Awards will be made from the Town’s Affordable Housing Bond, American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds, and the Affordable Housing Development Reserve (AHDR). 

“This is the largest amount of funding made available at one time to support affordable housing projects in Town history,” says Sarah Vinas, director of Affordable Housing and Community Connections. “Now, more than ever, these resources are critical to the Town making progress towards addressing the dire need for affordable housing in our community. We look forward to receiving proposals from community partners through this upcoming process.”     

Eligible uses of these funding sources are:

• Acquisition

• New construction

• Home repairs

• Land banking (AHDR only)

• Future development planning (AHDR only)

Since establishing the AHDR and Bond, the Town has provided support for the development of more than 450 homes in Chapel Hill, deploying more than $10 million to community partner projects.

The Town’s Housing Advisory Board will evaluate applications, and its recommended funding plan will be presented to the Town Council for final approval in October or November of 2022. Access the funding application and learn more here.

The Town plans to hold a virtual information session for potential applicants at 2 p.m. Thursday, September 1.  Email Nate Broman-Fulks, nbfulks@townofchapelhill.org, to learn more or register for the information session.

Fiscal Year 2022 Annual Report

Check out our new Annual Report, which highlights the Town's key affordable housing and community connections results for Fiscal Year 22 (July 1, 2021 - June 30, 2022).

Thank you to our partners for your many contributions to our shared efforts to build a vibrant and inclusive community where all residents have access to affordable housing and opportunities to thrive.

Affordable Housing and Community Connections Names Broman-Fulks Assistant Director

Affordable Housing and Community Connections Director Sarah Viñas has selected Affordable Housing Manager Nate Broman-Fulks as the department’s Assistant Director. His first day in the new role will be Monday, April 18.

“Nate stood out in a competitive pool of applicants and has demonstrated excellent leadership over the last several years in managing key affordable housing initiatives within the Town of Chapel Hill,” said Viñas. “I look forward to continuing to work with him in this important senior leadership position within the Town.”

Broman-Fulks joined the Town as Affordable Housing Manager in 2017. He earned his bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of South Carolina. After receiving his Master of Public Administration and Master of International Studies from North Carolina State University, Nate began his local-government career in 2014 as Assistant to the Town Manager in Carrboro where he managed strategic initiatives, including the Town’s affordable housing and community development efforts. 

In the last nearly five years, Nate has worked with the Town of Chapel Hill’s affordable housing team to implement the Town’s affordable housing work plan and performance measurement systems.

“I’m incredibly grateful and excited for the opportunity to continue to serve the Chapel Hill community in this new role,” said Broman-Fulks. “I look forward to building on the great work already underway to make the town a vibrant, inclusive, and accessible community for all residents.”

Nate and his wife Kristi are the parents of three daughters and a newborn son.

Homestead Gardens Affordable Housing Project Receives $2 Million Federal Funding Award

The Town of Chapel Hill is excited to announce that the Homestead Gardens mixed-income affordable housing development (2200 Homestead Rd.) has received a $2 million Community Development Fund grant from the Community Project Funding (CPF) program. The Fiscal Year 2022 (FY22) omnibus spending bill, which the President signed into law on March 11, 2022, includes $1.5 billion in CPF funds, also described as congressional earmarks for local community development projects.

“I’m proud to have secured money in the (U.S.) House to fund the new affordable housing units in the development,” said Congressman David Price (NC-04) after visiting the site. “Developments like Homestead Gardens are an important step in ensuring our neighbors have access to housing. Homestead Gardens was one of ten requests submitted by Congressman Price in April 2021. The FY22 omnibus bill includes all ten of the CPF requests Congressman Price submitted.

“Chapel Hill and our community partners are excited about creating 120 new, affordable homes for individuals and families at Homestead Gardens,” said Mayor Pam Hemminger. “With the help of this funding, we are one step closer to making this project a reality.” 

The Homestead Gardens project is one of the Town’s first efforts to develop affordable housing on Town land as a strategic way of addressing the critical need for affordable housing in Chapel Hill. The project represents a unique partnership between the Town and four local affordable housing partners—Self-Help Ventures Fund, CASA, Community Home Trust, and Habitat for Humanity of Orange County. These partners formed the Homestead Housing Collaborative to achieve the project’s vision of an inclusive, mixed-income community offering a variety of housing types that serve a variety of housing needs. 

Since 2018, the Town has been working closely with the Collaborative and its design team—CJT, PA and MHAWorks, PA— to design and plan the project. Chapel Hill Town Council approved the Homestead Gardens development plan in May 2021, which includes about 120 units of affordable apartments, townhomes, and duplexes surrounded by community amenities, such as a multi-use greenway, a basketball court, and a community garden. The project is scheduled to break ground in 2022.

To learn more about this project and the Town’s other affordable housing efforts, visit chapelhillaffordablehousing.org. 

Town Accepting Applications: $2 million Available for Affordable Housing Tax Credit Projects

The Town of Chapel Hill has released funding applications for affordable housing projects financed with nine-percent Low Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC).  Applications are due at noon Wednesday, April 6.  Awards will be made from the Town’s Affordable Housing Bond and contingent on the project receiving a nine-percent LIHTC award in 2022.

In November 2018, Chapel Hill voters expressed their overwhelming approval of a $10 million Affordable Housing Bond Referendum. The first $5 million of the bond has been allocated and will assist five organizations to develop about 275 affordable housing units.

The process for allocating the remaining $3+ million of the bond funds is planned to kick-off in late summer 2022 to create and preserve affordable housing in Chapel Hill.

The Town’s Housing Advisory Board will evaluate applications, and their recommended funding plan is scheduled to be presented to the Town Council for final approval in early May 2022. To access the funding application and learn more, visit https://bit.ly/2vDWWne.

Town Releases Its Affordable Housing Mid-Year Report

Town staff presented the latest progress report to Council Wednesday night on the Town’s housing needs and progress towards reaching Council’s affordable housing goals.  Highlights from the report include:

• Five new affordable homes were added to the permanently affordable inventory.

• The Town allocated all available Affordable Housing Development Reserve funding ($688,395) in the first application cycle for the second year in a row.

• Trinity Court and Jay Street Affordable Housing Development Projects completed Concept Plan review and submitted Conditional Zoning Applications to provide over 100 affordable housing units total.

• Council authorized a site-development agreement with Self-Help Ventures to begin affordable housing development at 2200 Homestead Road.

• Even with additional Town support, the affordable housing gap has grown to over 3,800 units for households below 60% of the Area Median Income (~$50,000)

To help the Town make progress towards addressing the community’s housing needs, Council has set five-year targets for affordable housing preservation and development. The Affordable Housing Quarterly Report is a tool to monitor the Town's progress towards meeting our targets, share the status of projects funded with Town resources, and summarize key community indicators related to housing in Chapel Hill.

Interested in learning more about the housing needs of the community and what the Town is doing to address them? Check out the Affordable Housing Quarterly Report and staff’s Mid-Year Report to Council!

Spread Holiday Cheer, and Help Your Neighbors in Need

Are you looking for a way to help others this holiday season? Consider making a contribution to assist Chapel Hill residents in housing crisis by making a tax-deductible donation to the County-wide Emergency Housing Assistance Program.   

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Town has seen a tremendous increase in requests for assistance, as many residents continue to struggle to make ends meet.  Since March 2020, more than 700 Chapel Hill residents have received assistance totaling more than $2.5 million through the Emergency Housing Assistance Program. 

Amid the economic downturn resulting from the pandemic, in collaboration with Orange County, and the towns of Carrboro and Hillsborough, Chapel Hill expanded the eligibility criteria and funding available through the Emergency Housing Assistance Program. The program provides low-income residents in urgent need of rent and utility assistance with a one-time payment. 

All donations received will be used to directly assist Chapel Hill residents. Donations of any amount may be made by check, payable to the Town of Chapel Hill. Please send to the attention of the Business Management Department (BMD) and mail to 405 Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Chapel Hill, NC 27514. Please indicate in the memo “Emergency Housing Assistance Program.”  The Town will provide a receipt for each tax-deductible donation. 

For residents in need of assistance, please call or email the Housing Helpline to get an application: 919-245-2655 or HousingHelp@orangecountync.gov

For more information about the Emergency Housing Assistance Program, visit www.townofchapelhill.org/government/departments-services/housing-and-community/funding/rental-and-utility-assistance-program

Sarah Viñas Named Affordable Housing and Community Connections Director

Town Manager Maurice Jones has selected Sarah Viñas as Director of Affordable Housing and Community Connections. The appointment came after a national search and selection from a talented pool of applicants. Her first day was Oct. 25th.

“Sarah has been an outstanding leader in our community’s effort to preserve and create affordable housing in Chapel Hill,” said Jones. “She possesses a great passion for public service and has worked closely with our affordable housing partners to make a positive difference in the lives of our residents.”

“I am honored to continue serving the Town in this new role by working with residents, community partners, and staff to create more affordable housing opportunities and partnerships that address social inequities in Chapel Hill,” said Viñas. “I am extremely excited to lead the department as we continue to develop solutions to some of the communities’ greatest challenges now and into the future.”

Viñas has nearly 20 years of experience in both the public and non-profit sector, all focused on addressing the root causes of poverty and housing insecurity and building leadership among marginalized populations to create positive community change. She joined the Town of Chapel Hill more than a decade ago, where she has served in a variety of roles. In 2014, she joined the Town’s newly-formed Office for Housing and Community, where she developed many new programs and policy solutions and oversaw operations as Assistant Director and most recently Interim Director. Prior to joining the Town, Viñas directed two community-based non-profit organizations and worked on state and national social policy issues.

Viñas earned a bachelor’s degree in Sociology and Religion with a minor in Community Building and Social Change from Emory University and a master’s degree in Public Administration from UNC-Chapel Hill. 

She is supported by her husband, Gabriel, and their two children, as well as her extended family who live locally in Chapel Hill.

Our Work In The News - Ahead of the Curve Podcast

Our team's work was featured on Ahead of the Curve, a podcast for public sector professionals to share best practices, challenges, and insights on housing, community development, and economic development issues. Take a listen to our Interim Director, Sarah Viñas, featured on this recent episode.