Agenda - 03-04-1998 - 7a - Laserfiche WebLink

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.~ in overcrowded, substandard units. The majority of the 3,919 homeowners in this category were cost burdened, paying between 31-50 percent of their income on housing. The 7,070 other low-income residents, who earned 51 - 80 percent of MFI, experienced fewer housing problems. Approximately 36 percent of the low-income renters in Orange County and 43 percent of those in Chapel Hill had housing problems. Homeless Needs The numbers of•homeless•persons in Orange County have increased dramatically. From January 1 through December 1, 1994, the IuterFaith Council Community House reported serving 879 individuals, of whom 2 out of 3 were males. Of this number, 536 were African American, 272 were white, and 62 were Hispanic. An additional 12,000 families, mostly female headed, were threatened with homelessness. The greatest increase in the homeless population in Orange County was among women, children, and families, frequeirtly victims of domestic violence. Between 1991 and 1992, the number of homeless women increased by 10 percent and the number of homeless children increased by 35 percent. Since the Battered Women's Shelter for Orange County and Durham County is located in Durham, women who wanted to maintain their children's attendance in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Schools had no other option but the homeless shelter. However, the InterFaith Council Community House, the only shelter that serves the needs of Orange County's homeless population, was not designed to accommodate families with children. "there were no public or private single-room occupancy facilities in Orange County to provide transition for shelter residents. Substance abuse treatment was provided at only one halfway house for women, and no comparable facilities existed for men. Public and Assisted Housing Needs Orange County's only public housing consisted of the 336 units located in Chapel Hill. As of May 1, 1995, 22 of these units were vacant; 16 of them were located in the South Estes Drive development, which was scheduled for renovation. The majority of Chapel Hill's public housing units were two- and three-bedroom units. The county's Section 8 program, administered by the Orange County Housing and Community Development Department, included 403 certificates, 101 vouchers, and 97 moderate rehabilitation units. The other 269 units of assisted housing included the following-, 68 from Section 8 new construction, 81 from the Fanners Home S l5 program, 94 from Section 236, and 26 from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Develc~ment Loan Management Program. Barriers to Affordable Housing The Consolidated Plan for Orange County identified the following barriers to affordable housing: • High cost of public improvements. In southern Orange County, where vacant land served by public utilities is very limited, the price of land with water and sewer service is too high for the development of affordable housing. In unincorporated Orange County, although land accessible to urban services is available, many existing residences lack adequate plumbing facilities. An estimated 10-20 percent of county septic systems fail at any given moment.