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016 <br /> b. NEEDS ASSESSMENT <br /> 1. Current Estimates and Five Year Projections. <br /> i. <br /> Very Low-Income. There are a total of 9, 932 very low-income <br /> households in Orange County earning from 0 to 50% of the area <br /> median family income ($0 - $20,343) . Very low-income renters are <br /> often forced to live in substandard housing due to the lack of <br /> affordable housing options in Orange County. Approximately 86% of <br /> households in the very low-income group reported having some <br /> housing problems.' An estimated 97% of large families in Orange <br /> County, and 91% in Chapel Hill experienced housing problems which <br /> can be attributed to the fact that many large, very low-income <br /> households, cannot afford the rental prices for an adequately sized <br /> unit, and are therefore forced to live in an overcrowded, <br /> substandard unit. An estimated 83% of Orange County renters, and <br /> 86% of Chapel Hill renters have a cost burden greater than 30%.4 <br /> Of the total 3,409 and 510 very low-income, owner occupied <br /> units in Orange County and Chapel Hill, 61% (2, 065) in Orange <br /> County and 71% (360) in Chapel Hill experience some housing <br /> problems. Owner occupied units are labeled elderly or "other" <br /> households, and 88% ( 205) of other types of households experience <br /> housing problems in Chapel Hill. Owner occupied units occupied by <br /> "other" types of households have many more residents with cost <br /> burdens greater than 30% and 50% (88% and 58% in Orange County and <br /> Chapel Hill respectively) . This is a direct result of the high <br /> cost of housing in Chapel Hill. Many of these residents are forced <br /> to spend the majority of their income on housing. <br /> For the purpose of this CHAS, a jurisdiction has a housing <br /> need if more than 30% of income is spent on housing. Utilizing <br /> this definition, there is a housing need for 12, 012 Orange County <br /> households and 5, 189 Chapel Hill households. <br /> ii. Other Low-Income. The Other Low-Income group consists of <br /> 7 , 070 households that earn between 51% and 80% of the area median <br /> income ( $20,749 to $32,548) . Approximately 36% of other low-income <br /> renters in Orange County, and 43% in Chapel Hill experience housing <br /> problems . Only 62 (2%) County residents and 38 (2%) Chapel Hill <br /> renters have a cost burden greater than 50%. Cost burdens for <br /> 3 <br /> A housing problem is defined as a household living in a unit: (1) which meets the <br /> definitions of physical defects, (2) that meets the definition of overcrowded, and (3) meet <br /> the definition of a cost burden greater than 30% of gross income. <br /> 4 Cost burden indicates the amount of gross income spent on housing including <br /> utilities. <br /> 13 <br />