OCAHC’s 2014 goals and accomplishments included:
- Goal 1. Obtain a dedicated source of local funding for the development and preservation of affordable housing in Orange County, with an initial focus on a Penny for Housing in Chapel Hill.
- Result: For the first time in its history, the Town of Chapel Hill included a line item in its 2014-15 budget dedicated to affordable housing.
- Goal 2. Seek adoption and implementation of the recommendations crafted by the Mayor’s Committee on Affordable Rental Housing.
- Result: The Town has begun implementation. To date, key activities have included restructuring the Town’s housing staff, forming a Housing Advisory Board, inventorying publicly owned land and making surplus properties available for development, and pursuing a large-scale affordable rental development.
- Goal 3. Participate in, and help support, other policy and process reviews underway in Orange County.
- Result: OCAHC participated in Carrboro’s affordable housing planning sessions, advocated for inclusion of affordable housing in developments subject to review by local jurisdictions, and remains engaged in ongoing local policy discussions at the municipal and county levels.
- Goal 4. Increase the supply of affordable housing in Orange County, including by working with private developers who have proposed to provide such housing.
- Result: OCAHC members met with developers to provide advice and feedback on development plans, with an eye toward finding financially sustainable ways for developers to include affordable units in market rate developments. Projects such as the renovation of Timber Hollow Apartments and the proposed construction of The Graduate apartments have committed to building affordable units.
- Goal 5. Preserve and increase the supply of Housing Choice Vouchers (“Section 8”) housing in Orange County.
- Result: Although it was a difficult year for Housing Choice Voucher holders, with several major property owners opting out of the program and displacing tenants, OCAHC successfully advocated for emergency rental assistance from the towns of Chapel Hill and Carrboro. Our members also educated developers and landlords about the voucher program.
OCAHC 