Orange County NC Website
during afour-month period. Twenty-three percent of the people seen were new to the InterFaith Council <br />for Social Services. He urged the Board to take the moratorium off the section 8 list. He also asked that <br />the County attempt to request more section 8 allocations from the federal government this year. He said <br />that there should be creative ways to provide housing. Mobile home parks are creative ways if they are <br />kept correctly. He said that InterFaith Council is seriously considering new accommodations. He hopes <br />that the Board of County Commissioners, the Town of Chapel Hill, the Town of Carrboro, and the <br />University can work with them to have a unified approach to a solution. They do not have enough beds <br />at the homeless shelter and are turning people away. There should not be men and women together in <br />the same facility. They need to be in a downtown center somewhere. He invited Chair Jacobs and Jahn <br />Link to go with him to Raleigh and look at the new Wilmington Street facility. <br />Karen Kincaid Dunn, Director of Club Nova in Carrboro, said that Club Nova is a psychiatric <br />rehab program that is part of a network of over 300 clubhouses worldwide. She spoke on behalf of the <br />members of Club Nova who live with serious mental illness. Most of the members survive on a total of <br />$535 per month. This amount must cover housing, food, clothes, and other necessities. She spoke <br />about the need for affordable housing; many of these facilities have long waiting lists. Club Nova has <br />spent the last year working with many organizations to develop a plan to create safe, decent, and <br />affordable housing for the members. They have developed a plan to build 24 units an the Club Nava <br />property that will be for single-room occupancy. They plan to use section 8 monies. She asked that <br />Orange County provide any available funding for this critical housing for the members of Club Nova. She <br />invited the County Commissioners to schedule a tour visit and lunch at Club Nova. <br />Matt Cox, member of Club Nova in Carrboro, spoke in support of the Club Nova project. He <br />has been a member for 13 years and he lived at the apartments at Club Nova for seven years. He now <br />lives in HUD housing at the Overlook Apartments in Chapel Hill. He said that the things the County <br />Commissioners do here really do impact people in a positive way. Hopefully, mare affordable housing <br />can be created. <br />Robert Dowling from Orange Community Housing spoke in support of the Club Nova project. <br />He spoke about the need for rental housing. He said that there is excess demand and a significant <br />shortage of housing. He thanked the County Commissioners for their support of affordable housing. He <br />said that we seem to be doing better at home ownership than rental housing. Rental housing is more <br />difficult to do, but it is an area that needs same focus. A lot of people in this County are paying 50°~ of <br />their income on housing. He distributed a request for HOME monies. The request includes money for <br />the Homestead Development with 190 homes and 30 town homes that will be affordable. He has asked <br />far $3,500 per home for dawn payment assistance. There is another development in the same area <br />where the developer has provided another seven single-family houses that will be affordable at 80% of <br />median. He has asked for $3,500 per home in this development also. <br />A motion was made by Commissioner Halkiotis, seconded by Commissioner Gordon to close <br />the public hearing. <br />VOTE: UNANIMOUS <br />8. ITEMS FOR DECISION -CONSENT AGENDA <br />A motion was made by Commissioner Halkiotis, seconded Commissioner Brown by to approve <br />those items an the Consent Agenda as stated below. <br />a. Advertisements of Tax Liens on Real Property <br />The Board received a report an the amount of unpaid taxes for the current year and approved <br />the necessary advertising and placing liens an real property required by N.C.G.S. 105-369 and approved <br />setting March 13, 2002 as the date for the advertisement. <br />b. Resolution Creating a Special Board of Eaualization and Review <br />This item was removed and placed at the end of the consent agenda for separate <br />consideration. <br />c. Personnel Ordinance Revision: Retirement System Sick Leave Can Removal <br />The Board approved revising the personnel ordinance to remove the capon the amount of <br />sick leave for which time in service may be granted at retirement. <br />d. Budget Amendment #3 <br />