Agenda - 11-05-20; 6-c - Emergency Housing Assistance Program Update and Request for Supplemental Funding

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3 phone calls from homeowners desperately seeking assistance with their mortgage. Our counselors assisted several Habitat for Humanity- Orange County homeowners file the proper paper work to “stay” foreclosure on their homes. 2) A couple called seeking assistance to pay their rent. They were about to be evicted. Her husband was ill, and she had been released from her job. She had sold everything she could to raise money for the upcoming rent payment, but they were behind. What she did not reveal until later was she had lost her job because her husband had tested positive for COVID-19 and she had to be home to take care of he and their child. She was ashamed to tell us that. Ms. Reid was able to help her gather the paperwork to file for the Emergency Housing Assistance Funding and they were able to stay in place. 3) The last example was discovered quite by accident. We were doing a “wellness check” on the Minority Business calls EmPOWERment used to facilitate every Monday once COVID started. Originally the calls were about how minority businesses could access PPP/SBA funding. During this call, one of the owners was sharing her condition: she was struggling with her business and was about to lose her apartment because she was $1,500.00 short on her rent. Once we heard the situation, we connected her again to EI counselors who helped her access the EHA funds, and safe her from eviction!!!! Chapel Hill Social Worker Please know all the social workers in this area are so grateful for the work you all are doing. We have never seen a program with such impact. Rebecca Buzzard, Housing and Community Services Director, Town of Carrboro, Loryn Clark, Housing and Community Director, Town of Chapel Hill, and Margaret Hauth, Planning Director/Assistant Town Manager, Town of Hillsborough Before the pandemic, each Orange County jurisdiction had their own rental assistance program, all with different eligibility criteria and varying amounts of available assistance. The regional housing departments worked collaboratively when the pandemic hit to examine the urgent community need for rental assistance and adjust and streamline our programs to better meet that need. Our goal was to simplify the process for our community members so that they would have one set of guidelines and one “place to go” for housing help. We worked hard to agree on the changes to our programs and present them to our boards, commissions, and councils in a timely manner. Without the leadership of the Orange County Housing Department – stepping up to administer the program for all of our residents – we would not have been able to serve as many community members and keep them housed during these unprecedented times. We are so grateful for the close partnership with OCHD! Tiffany Bullard, Local Reentry Case Manager, Criminal Justice Resource Department Merriam-Webster dictionary defines housing as ‘any shelter, lodging, or dwelling place’ and although a functional and simple definition, for the clients I work with housing is something far greater. Housing is accomplishment, it is pride. Housing is recovery, it is sanctuary. Housing is health, it is peace, it is calm, it is…home. As the LRC Case Manager, working with returning citizens presents seemingly unsurmountable challenges, particularly for housing. Returning citizens are challenged with the task of obtaining affordable, safe housing 11