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73 <br /> Spencer Horsley if this need is being reviewed and if there are any policies that may be written <br /> moving forward <br /> Commissioner Jacobs said this may no longer be an issue, but he would like to know. <br /> He suggested doing some outreach in these areas to assess the current status. <br /> Audrey Spencer Horsley noted his comments. <br /> PUBLIC COMMENT: <br /> Robert Dowling, Executive Director of Community Home Trust, said he was reviewing <br /> older information,as they are currently moving their offices, and he reviewed many of the <br /> accomplishments of the Community Housing Trust. He said many mistakes have been made <br /> over the years. He noted four main themes: how much need there continues to be for <br /> affordable housing, how much money is needed, how difficult it is to resolve issues and how <br /> easy it is to spend money inefficiently. He said we are in a vexing business and as they move <br /> forward with their strategic planning,there are better and worse uses of HOME funding.. He <br /> asked the Board to try to focus its efforts on what is feasible to get done with limited resources. <br /> He said there are other assets in the County, and he encouraged the Board to make use of all <br /> of them: non-profits,for profits,school governments, etc. <br /> Eviva Scully, School Social Worker, asked if the criteria to identify someone as <br /> extremely low wealth could be clarified. <br /> Audrey Spencer Horsley said the national standard of affordable housing is HUD's <br /> definition: 30% of one's income is considered as affordable. She said extreme low income is <br /> based on the county's median income, and 80%would be considered moderate income,50% <br /> would be considered low income, and 30%of the county's median income would be considered <br /> extremely low income. She said the poverty line is also another benchmark <br /> Mark Marcoplos said there are a lot of unknowns regarding poverty conditions in Orange <br /> County, and information is needed. He said since there is not a large amount of HOME funding, <br /> perhaps it may be valuable to fund a position to go around and look at and investigate these <br /> issues <br /> Susan Levy's via email: <br /> Dear Orange County Commissioners, <br /> I regret that I am unable to attend tonight's public hearing due to a prior commitment, but I <br /> would like to offer the following comments on the use of HOME 2016-17 HOME funds, and ask <br /> that they be entered into the record. <br /> HOME funding continues to be a critical factor in Habitats home and community building efforts <br /> throughout Orange County.To date, Habitat has provided affordable homeownership for 270 <br /> families in Orange County, and used HOME funds to leverage millions of dollars in private <br /> funding for the majority of those 270 homes. <br /> Today, in part because of HOME funding, <br /> • 50 families call Phoenix Place home. We completed this subdivision of green certified <br /> home in the Rogers Road community in 2014. <br /> • The Fairview community has seen a rise in its homeownership rate and a reduction in its <br /> crime rate with the addition of 50 Habitat homes, <br /> • 9 homes have been completed in Tinnin Woods,our subdivision in Efland-Cheeks <br /> Township,and another 10 are under construction. <br /> This year,we are requesting approximately$285,000 in HOME funding for two projects. <br /> 1 $165,000 in second mortgages for the final 11 homes in Tinnin Woods. The <br /> funds will be used as second mortgages for Habitat homebuyers, and will have a <br /> long-term positive impact on the lives of the eleven families.. Owning a home has <br />