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ORANGE COUNTY <br />BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br /> <br />ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT <br /> Meeting Date: June 18, 2019 <br /> Action Agenda <br /> Item No. 8-t <br /> <br />SUBJECT: Approval of the Transfer of Ownership of Two (2) Manufactured Home Units to <br />EmPOWERment, Inc. <br /> <br />DEPARTMENT: Department of Housing and <br />Community Development <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />ATTACHMENT(S): <br />Resolution <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> INFORMATION CONTACT: <br /> Sherrill Hampton, Director, Housing and <br />Community Development, (919) 245- <br />2490 <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />PURPOSE: To approve a resolution transferring ownership of two (2) manufactured homes to <br />EmPOWERment, Inc, as well as authorize the County Manager to execute all needed <br />documents as it relates to the proposed transfer of property, subject to review and approval by <br />the County Attorney. The manufactured homes were purchased under the previously approved <br />Orange County Land Banking/Manufactured Home Park Initiative’s Displacement Mitigation <br />Assistance Program (DMAP). <br /> <br />BACKGROUND: On November 20, 2017, the Affordable Housing Land Banking/Mobile Home <br />Park Work Group presented the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) with its <br />recommendations on strategies for mitigating resident displacement and relocation challenges <br />due to park closures and redevelopment efforts. The BOCC approved the recommendations <br />and requested that County staff develop a Rapid Response Protocol in order to allow for timely, <br />coordinated action when manufactured home park closures occur. The Rapid Response <br />Protocol was created, reviewed by the Work Group and presented to the BOCC in February <br />2018. <br /> <br />On March 20, 2018, the BOCC approved entering into an agreement with EmPOWERment, Inc. <br />to assist the Housing and Community Development Department with Relocation Coordination <br />Services under the County’s new Displacement Mitigation Assistance Program (DMAP). Given <br />the proposed closing of a manufactured home park along NC 86 South and the number of <br />families who initially needed to relocate and the condition of their existing units, two (2) new <br />manufactured home units were purchased. One family was relocated and another family chose <br />not to relocate but continued to work with the park owner, who changed his mind about closing <br />the park. Therefore, the County collaborated with Habitat for Humanity as it related to providing <br />assistance to a unit owner living in the Tar Heel Mobile Home Park in Chapel Hill, NC. <br />Partnering with Habitat, the County utilized the unit purchased earlier to provide assistance to a <br />single-parent household with a school-aged child who was experiencing medical issues given <br />1