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3 <br /> Attachment I <br /> Recipient's Plan to Further Fair Housing <br /> Grantee: Orange County <br /> Recipient's Address: PO Box 8181 <br /> Hillsborough,NC 27278 <br /> Contact Person: Erika Brandt Contact Phone#: 919-245-4331 <br /> Contact Email: ebrandt(a,oran ec�ountync.gov TDD #: <br /> I. Indicate if the Recipient will be affirmatively furthering fair housing for the <br /> first time or has implemented specific activities in the past. <br /> First Time X Past Activities <br /> II. Identify and analyze obstacles to affirmatively furthering fair housing <br /> in recipient's community. (Use additional pages as necessary) <br /> In 2020, Orange County worked with the Center for Urban and Regional Studies at the <br /> University of North Carolina Chapel Hill to conduct an Analysis of Impediments to Fair <br /> Housing Choice (AI). The AI includes an analysis of Orange County laws, regulations, <br /> and administrative policies, procedures, and practices that affect the location, availability, <br /> and accessibility of housing. The Al also includes an assessment of conditions, both <br /> public and private, that affect fair housing choice. <br /> The Al identified the following impediments to fair housing: <br /> • A lack of affordable housing has resulted in severe rent burdens among <br /> many renters, especially those with low and moderate incomes. A majority of <br /> renters in the county are rent burdened—spending over 30% of household income <br /> toward rent and utilities; this figure exceeds 85% for households earning below <br /> $35,000 and is still over half for households earning $35,000—$49,999. <br /> Meanwhile, over 80% of households earning under$20,000 are severely rent <br /> burdened(meaning they pay over half their income toward rent and utilities), as <br /> are nearly 40% of households earning $20,000—$34,999. <br /> • African Americans and Hispanics face difficulties receiving conventional <br /> mortgage loans. The denial rate for first-lien, conventional mortgages for African <br /> Americans is consistently over four times that of Whites, and the denial rate for <br /> Hispanics is between two and four times that of Whites as well. The most <br /> common reasons for denial, as noted in the HMDA data, are credit history for <br /> African Americans (33% of all denial reasons) and debt-to-income ratio for <br /> Hispanics (49% of all denial reasons). <br /> • Based on the number of fair housing complaints filed, disabled persons face <br /> difficulties accessing fair housing.Nearly half of all fair housing complaints <br />