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7 <br />Community Development Needs <br />Orange County has identified the need for increased economic development opportunities for low <br />and moderate- income citizens and revitalization of businesses serving low - income <br />neighborhoods in Chapel Hill. <br />Anti - Poverty Strategy <br />In a recent update to the County's Work First Plan, a subcommittee of the Welfare Reform Task <br />Force, Strengthening Independence, was charged with identifying strategies and resources for <br />Work First families that will enable them to increase their income and to become self - sufficient. <br />As a part of their work, this committee identified the lack of affordable housing for those in the <br />lowest income ranges as a major impediment to building self - sufficiency. They identified the <br />following strategies to address this situation.. <br />1, Build, renovate, or designate existing affordable housing and rental units for <br />which preference is given to families who are engaged in a self - sufficiency <br />program that provides ,job skills, employment counseling, entrepreneurship <br />training, money management, and other social supports. <br />2. Increase availability and access to affordable rental housing and to special <br />incentives and home mortgage loans in the primary market at rates attractive to <br />buyers in this income group. <br />3. Advocate among policy makers, housing organizations, and funding sources to <br />limit undue analysis of the need and to place emphasis on action. <br />Coordination of the Strategic Plan <br />Through the Orange Community Housing Corporation, Habitat for Humanity, EmPOWERment, <br />Inc., and other non -profit organizations, Orange County, Chapel Hill, Carrboro, and Hillsborough <br />work in collaboration to implement the plan, as follows: <br />1. The Chapel Hill Planning Department administers the CDBG program. <br />1 The Orange County Housing and Community Development Department <br />administers Section 8 program and serves as the lead agency for the Orange <br />County HOME Consortium, which includes Orange County, Carrboro, Chapel <br />Hill, and Hillsborough, and administers the County -wide Housing Rehabilitation <br />Program. <br />3. The Chapel Hill Department of Housing operates public housing in Chapel Hill <br />and Carrboro.. <br />4. The Town of Carrboro administers the Carrboro CDBG Small Cities program. <br />5. The Hillsborough Planning Department is responsible for planning and policy <br />development for the town, including the recently adopted 2010 plan. <br />