Orange County NC Website
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__©1, - <br /> providers to be important to the success of counseling and <br /> assistance programs. <br /> For developmentally disabled, handicapped, and mentally ill <br /> persons, the major housing provider is Residential Services, <br /> Incorporated, operating 7 group homes and one apartment complex in <br /> Chapel Hill. There are currently no Independent Living Facilities <br /> for persons who do not need close supervision but would benefit <br /> from a structured living situation. The Mental Health Association <br /> in Orange County has received a grant award from HUD in conjunction <br /> with the Mental Health Association in North Carolina to build 14 <br /> units of supported independent living units for persons with mental <br /> illness in Chapel Hill. The Orange County Mental Health Association <br /> indicates that there are approximately 35 persons with chronic <br /> mental illness in Orange County who have immediate needs for <br /> affordable housing. <br /> The only facility specifically for battered women is located <br /> in Durham and sponsored by the Durham - Orange Coalition for <br /> Battered Women. The Durham location creates a transportation <br /> problem for most women with school-age children, and dislocates <br /> battered women from their support networks. <br /> The AIDS Services Agency of Orange County is working to provide <br /> both host homes for persons with AIDS in need of out-patient <br /> treatment at Memorial Hospital and a group home-type facility for <br /> long-term residents with AIDS. For persons recovering from <br /> substance abuse, Freedom House is the only halfway house for women <br /> in Orange County; there are no facilities available for men. A <br /> private home for pregnant teenagers also exists in Chapel Hill. <br /> Very low- and low-income elderly persons in Orange County may <br /> choose to live in Adelaide Walters Apartments in Chapel Hill, the <br /> only assisted housing specifically for elderly residents. The 1990 <br /> Census report estimated that there are 6,430 persons over age 62 <br /> receiving Social Security income in Orange County. There are also <br /> three nursing homes, five rest homes and 11 family care homes in <br /> Orange County. A significant number of the public housing <br /> population and Section 8 certificate-holders are also reserved for <br /> the elderly. Many older adults would be able to "age in place" by <br /> maintaining their home environment, if resources were available to <br /> provide home maintenance and repair and simple support services <br /> like transportation and meals. Additional rental opportunities <br /> would complement efforts to allow older adults to "age in place" by <br /> making assisted living situations available if staying at home is <br /> no longer possible. <br /> 12 <br />