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1 <br /> ORANGE COUNTY <br /> BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br /> ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT <br /> Meeting Date: May 3, 2022 <br /> Action Agenda <br /> Item No. 6-a <br /> SUBJECT: Longtime Homeowner Assistance (LHA) Program Evaluation <br /> DEPARTMENT: Housing and Community <br /> Development <br /> ATTACHMENT(S): INFORMATION CONTACT: <br /> Attachment 1: 2021 LHA Program Data Corey Root, Director, Housing and <br /> Attachment 2: Tax Assistance Application Community Development, 919-245- <br /> Package LHA Insert 2492 <br /> Nancy Freeman, Tax Administrator, <br /> Orange County Tax Office, 919-245- <br /> 2735 <br /> Gary Donaldson, Chief Financial Officer, <br /> Orange County Finance, 919-245- <br /> 2453 <br /> PURPOSE: To receive information about the results of the 2021 Longtime Homeowner <br /> Assistance (LHA) program and consider options for program changes for a potential continuation <br /> of the LHA program in 2022. <br /> BACKGROUND: On October 5, 2021, the Orange County Board of Commissioners authorized <br /> the program design for the Longtime Homeowner Assistance Program (LHA) to assist households <br /> affected by the 2021 property tax revaluation. LHA launched on October 8, 2021 to serve <br /> households earning no more than 80% of the area median income who had lived in their homes <br /> for at least 10 years and experienced an increase in Orange County property taxes in 2021. <br /> Between October 8 and December 15, the Housing & Community Development Department <br /> received 125 applications. Housing staff worked alongside colleagues in the Tax Office and <br /> Finance & Administrative Services Department to award $16,364 across 91 households in <br /> property tax assistance (Attachment 1). There were some very small award amounts — as low as <br /> $1.51 — and the largest award was $1,334.63. A third of the awards were under $50 and 52% of <br /> awards were under $100. <br /> In addition to the communication plan about the program presented in October, in response to <br /> requests from non-profit partners, Housing staff also organized and staffed three in-person events <br /> to help people complete LHA applications — at Piney Grove Baptist Church and Dorothy M. <br /> Johnson Community Center in Hillsborough, and Lattisville Grove Missionary Baptist Church in <br /> Cedar Grove (a planned event at the Roger Eubanks Neighborhood Association Community <br /> Center was canceled due to facility issues). Applications were relatively slow in the beginning <br /> weeks of the program, and picked up greatly toward the end of the application period. 72.8% of <br /> all received applications were approved. The most common reason for application denial was the <br />