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27 <br /> rrr,�r�,�rktyn <br /> Retain families who have lived here for decades/generations <br /> Support Develop and fund home repair programs, especially to improve in-home <br /> homeowners in accessibility for long-time residents. In the 2014 survey of the Historic 86 parcels, <br /> maintaining their over 65% of households in the Historic Rogers Road area reported a need for some home <br /> homes and repair support, including but not limited to: essential repairs of leaking roofs, broken HVAC <br /> mitigating rising systems, $500 utility bills due to a lack of weatherization, and increasingly inaccessible <br /> cost of living houses for those who are aging and disabled. Given the scope of need, Rogers Road would <br /> be a great focus area for a targeted home repair effort by an organization like Habitat or <br /> Rebuilding Together, with support from the County and/or Towns. This effort should be <br /> proactive and utilize RENA's existing database of home repair needs. <br /> The County and Towns should create a unified fund for home repairs in <br /> Rogers Road so that neighbors' ability to get repairs is not dependent on <br /> where the house is located within the neighborhood. Currently, Rogers Road is <br /> split between Carrboro and Chapel Hill's [Ti, leaving the community in the middle of CDBG <br /> and other funding efforts. The County could take the lead to host a unified fund to address <br /> the challenge of the multiple jurisdictions. <br /> Strengthen community organizing infrastructure by supporting the Rogers <br /> Road Community Center, especially to increase volunteer networks and provide <br /> sustainable presence in neighborhood. The Rogers Road Community Center has been a hub <br /> of action, but it needs regular operating support to continue to thrive. <br /> Create property tax mitigation program for long-term neighbors to offset <br /> rising taxes as result of development. Durham is currently working on a proposal to <br /> offset the rise in taxes for elderly, low-income residents over a period of time due to rising <br /> property values. Given the potential of development speculation, a similar program should <br /> be implemented to limit the drastic increase in taxes that could result from development <br /> pressure, both for elderly low-income residents and their heirs. The County could also lead <br /> a proactive effort to ensure residents who qualify for the Homestead Exemption have this <br /> important tax exemption. <br /> Support efforts to prevent land loss. Across the country, historically African <br /> American communities are losing land at a rapidly accelerating pace through investor <br /> speculation, heirs' property complications, and policies of exclusion. We are already <br /> beginning to partner with the Black Family Land Trust, Conservation Trust, and Center for <br /> Civil Rights to assist us, protecting land rights and use for future generations. <br /> 10 <br />