Agenda - 03-06-1996 - VII-A - Laserfiche WebLink

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l 4 The numbers of homeless persons in Orange County have increased dramatically. From January 1 through December 1, 1994,the kterFaith Council Community House reported serving 879 individuals, of whom 2 out of 3 were males. Of this number, S36 were African American, 272 were white, and 62 were Hispanic. An additional 12,000 families, mostly female handed, were threatened with homelessness. The greatest increase in the homeless population in Orange County was among women, children, and families,frequently victims of domestic violence. Between 1991 and 1991,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 Hin-Carrboro Schdots 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 a program, administered by the Orange County Housing and Community Development Department, Included 403 certificates, 101 vouchers, and 97 moderate rehabilitation units.The other 265 units of assisted housing included the following: 68 from Section a new construction, 81 from the Farmers Home 515 program, 94 from Section 236, and 26 from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Loan Management Program. 9wders to Affor kAft 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. marry existing residencas lack adequate plumbing facilities.An estimated 10-20 percent of county septic systems fait at any given moment. • Lack of adequate transportation.While the public transportation system In the Chapel Hill-Carrboro urban area is comprehensive, access to jobs'end facilities outside the urban area is limited by a lack of transportation. Fair HaushM