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11 <br /> Orange County Board of Commissioners <br /> SEAL <br /> A motion was made by Commissioner Dorosin, seconded by Commissioner Price to <br /> adopt the resolution awarding funds for the 2020 Affordable Housing Bond Program, and <br /> authorize the Board Chair to sign the Resolution. <br /> Chair Rich called each Commissioner by name (roll call). <br /> VOTE: Ayes, 5 (Commissioner Bedford, Commissioner Greene, Commissioner McKee, <br /> Commissioner Price, Commissioner Dorosin); Nays, 2 (Chair Rich and Commissioner <br /> Marcoplos) <br /> MOTION PASSES 5-2 <br /> c. Emergency Housing Assistance Program Update and Request for Supplemental <br /> Funding <br /> The Board received an update on the work of the Housing Department in pandemic <br /> response through the Emergency Housing Assistance fund, and considered voting to approve <br /> the transfer of$100,000 from the Local Rent Supplement Program to the Emergency Housing <br /> Assistance Program to provide additional funding for ongoing eviction prevention activities that <br /> are not eligible costs under other programs. <br /> Emila Sutton, Director of Housing and Community Development, reviewed the item <br /> below: <br /> BACKGROUND: <br /> In March 2020, at the onset of the public health crisis caused by COVID-19 and seeing the need <br /> for increased housing assistance for those impacted, the Orange County Housing Department <br /> and staff from the Towns of Carrboro, Chapel Hill, and Hillsborough began discussions on how <br /> to combine our existing eviction prevention and housing stabilization efforts to best serve <br /> residents. Staff from all jurisdictions agreed that combining existing efforts into one program, <br /> with one application process and singular policies, would improve provision of emergency <br /> housing assistance throughout the County. The Emergency Housing Assistance program (or <br /> "EHA") was created as a result, and Orange County began administering eviction prevention <br /> and housing stabilization funds on behalf of the Towns as well as the County (see Attachment <br /> 1). At the same time, the Department also began managing Coordinated Entry for the <br /> community— providing an efficient and evidence-based method of serving those experiencing a <br /> housing crisis. The Department renamed and rebranded Coordinated Entry as the "Housing <br /> Helpline" so residents more readily understood how assistance could be requested. Both of <br /> these programs saw an exponential increase in demand quickly after the pandemic hit, and both <br /> programs scaled up quickly in order to meet the increasing demand (see Attachment 2). <br /> One way the program successfully and quickly scaled up to meet the need was by requesting <br /> assistance and partnership from local non-profits. Several organizations stepped up to help, to <br /> include El Centro Hispano, Refugee Community Partnership, Community Home Trust, <br /> EmPOWERment, and the Community Empowerment Fund, as well as other Orange County <br /> Departments such as Family Success Alliance (Health Department), Department on Aging, and <br /> Department of Social Services (see Attachment 3). <br />