Orange County NC Website
5 <br /> <br />She said they hoped that the survey would be real, and she personally tried to weave personal <br />experiences into this project, without being subjective. <br />Commissioner McKee asked if the sample size could be identified. <br />Female student said the survey was done in 2017 in mobile home parks in Orange <br />County and the towns. She said the students would recommend that the next survey use more <br />community partners to reach out to organizations that may work with these residents. <br />Commissioner McKee said the two local school districts are on par with each other, and <br />noted that people across the country move all the time, changing schools as they go. He asked <br />if there is a reason why the students consider changing school systems to be so oppressive. <br />He said buying land in Chapel Hill is radically different than buying land in Orange County. <br />Female student said the students understand the cost factor, but there is a widely held <br />belief that the Chapel Hill Carrboro City Schools (CHCCS) is a better school system, with better <br />funding. She said there are other benefits to living in Chapel Hill such as public transportation <br />and community partners. <br />Female student said about 96 surveys were completed and returned. <br />Commissioner McKee said he understood the perception that the CHCCS is the primary <br />school system, but he went to Orange County Schools (OCS) and he challenges the perception <br />that CHCCS is a better system. <br />Female student said people do move for all types of reasons, and in this particular case, <br />it is more to do with the nature of how and why people are being moved. She said these <br />residents want to remain in Chapel Hill, but will not be able to, which makes it racially <br />inequitable. <br />Shodeah Kelly said she moved 9 different times, and moving each time requires forming <br />new friendships, and relationships, different curriculums that left gaps in her knowledge, and as <br />a minority she was not given an opportunity to advocate for herself. She said it leads to a <br />fragmented foundation on which to build educational pursuits. <br />Commissioner McKee said he agrees and understands the stress, but he wants to <br />prevent the quest for perfection from getting in the way of the possible. <br />Chair Dorosin said this is a critical issue for the community. He said this is Orange <br />County’s gentrification, and low wealth residents are being displaced. He said finding other <br />options is critical. <br />Commissioner Price said she attended a seminar today that focused on housing and <br />real estate trends, and one of the recommendations was to purchase land/land trust to help <br />keep housing affordable. <br />Commissioner Jacobs suggested that Allison De Marco have someone from OCS come <br />and speak to her class. He said moving is not such an onerous thing, and the County could <br />help more people for less money. <br />Commissioner Burroughs thanked the students for coming tonight, and said it is not so <br />much that it is hard to move, but for folks who are already economically distressed it can be a <br />greater hardship. She said it is not so much about the schools, but about the people. <br />Lucas Risinger said that the residents advocated staying in their community, and it is <br />important to treat minorities the same way as a white community. <br />Female Student said she does not claim to know all of the costs of moving, but it is easy <br />to assume that costs would be larger because of the barriers these residents already face <br />(gaining employment, being undocumented, etc.). She thanked the Board of County <br />Commissioners (BOCC) for being willing to engage in this conversation. <br /> <br />2. Proposed Guidelines for the New Orange County Local Rent Supplement Program <br />(OC-LRSP) <br /> Sherrill Hampton, Housing Director, introduced Javon Holley, Program Manager for the <br />new Housing Choice Voucher Program.