Orange County NC Website
12 <br /> direct people to the most appropriate resources, including emergency financial assistance, <br /> homelessness prevention, homelessness diversion, shelter referrals, and permanent housing referrals <br /> through the coordinated entry by-name list. Funding for 0.5 FTE Coordinated Entry Specialist for <br /> prevention/diversion work would ensure that there are staff to field the average 1100 calls and 880 <br /> emails received each month. Funding for the 0.5 FTE Coordinated Entry Specialist would allow more <br /> staff on the Housing Helpline that is inundated with calls since launching in March 2020. Before COVID- <br /> 19, Orange County's Coordinated Entry system served about 60 households per month. Since April 2020, <br /> the Housing Helpline has served on average of 464 households per month,fielding 9,914 calls and 7,065 <br /> emails between April and December 2020. <br /> Landlord Incentive Program—Housing and Community Development: $55,000 <br /> This project provides funding for the Landlord Incentive Program (LIP), which provides payments <br /> directly to landlords signing new leases for Housing Choice Voucher/Section 8 holders and residents in <br /> search of housing as referred from partner agencies such as Compass, Local Re-entry Council, and <br /> others. LIP is managed by the Housing Access Coordinator and has been hugely successful in landlord <br /> recruitment. Since the COVID-19 eviction moratorium created stagnation in unit turnover, providing <br /> Landlord Incentives for new and renewing leases has proven an effective strategy to create unit <br /> availability for people in housing search.The LIP provides up to $1,000 bonus for landlords signing new <br /> tenant participants in voucher and OCHCD partner programs and $500 for returning landlords. <br /> Long Time Homeowner Assistance Program Software—Tax Administration and Housing and <br /> Community Development: $8,905 <br /> This project provides funding for software used by staff to administer the Long Time <br /> Homeowner Assistance Program, which is a program to partially offset an increase on property taxes for <br /> income-eligible, long time homeowners (must own and have lived on the property for at least 10 years) <br /> in Orange County following a revaluation of all property values during the COVID-19 pandemic. <br /> Countywide Food Distribution and Storage—Department of Social Services:$60,000 <br /> This project provides additional funding to the Orange County Department of Social Services to <br /> continue to provide access to foods for low-income families, particularly during times when schools or <br /> other programs providing food are on breaks.The agency will provide this assistance through mass <br /> distributions to families as well as through the pantries operating at each DSS site. These funds will be <br /> utilized during the 2021-2022 Winter Break and will all be expended by the end of January 2021.The <br /> outcome of these funds is reducing food insecurity for families, one of the main needs identified during <br /> the recovery planning process. <br /> Stabilization Program for Former Foster Youth—Department of Social Services:$10,000 <br /> This project will provide funding to support youth who have graduated from foster care.Youth <br /> who have been in foster care can have many issues after leaving foster care. Often they have limited <br /> family support and many experience financial instability and behavioral health issues.The Orange <br /> County Department of Social Services remains in contact with many of these individuals for years after <br /> they leave care and has been able to intervene to stabilize the situation and assure the youth connect to <br />