Orange County NC Website
Browse       Search
Oran a Coun North Carolina - AIFCH - 2007 <br />g ty~ <br />2. Create materials for use by the County, community-based organizations and local fair <br />housing groups to help educate residents who have concerns about new or existing group <br />homes, public or assisted housing and other locally unwanted land use for the benefit of LMI <br />households so that residents may better understand the potential benefits of such housing <br />to the community as a whole. <br />3. Provide information on and support for enforcement of fair housing laws to help deter future <br />efforts to block group homes, publicly assisted housing and other locally unwanted land use. <br />4. Develop a formal process that encourages and supports the use of alternative dispute <br />resolution, such as mediation, to help service providers and neighborhoods reconcile <br />differences over group home issues, public-assisted housing, and similar unwanted land <br />use. <br />5. Continue working to provide affordable housing for anyone that needs it, including the <br />homeless and people with mental disabilities. <br />6. Provide education to local elected officials, landlords, property managers, and neighborhood <br />associations on NIMBY-ism, siting issues, and applicable fair housing laws. <br />7. Develop a means to identify potential site disputes early in the process and provide <br />technical assistance and education tailored to that specific project. <br />8. Utilize Orange County's public information channel to educate the community on fair <br />housing issues. <br />9. Examine the composition of local boards, commissions, and advisory bodies to determine <br />representation of individuals in protected classes in decision making positions. <br />11.2 Predatory Lending <br />Without access to financial services that charge seasonable fees, low- and moderate-income <br />people will remain trapped in an endless cycle of debt. This debt weakens families which in turn <br />weakens Orange County neighborhoods. The low- and moderate-income markets demonstrate <br />a strong demand that is inadequately being served by traditional banking services. <br />Sub-prime lenders have gained large market share in many areas within the County and the <br />potential for predatory practices comes with this increased market presence. Equal access to <br />financial services is a difficult issue requiring the cooperation of all facets of the housing market. <br />There is a significant need to work closely together, identifying predatory practices, and finding <br />ways to eliminate them from the community. <br />Recommendations: <br />39 <br />