Agenda - 11-10-2022 Work Session; 4 - Affordable Housing Advisory Board – Appointments Discussion

Browse Search

21 Page 1 of 2 Kela Kexel Volunteer Application Orange County Advisory Boards and Commissions Name: Ms. Kela Kexel Name Called: Home Address: 909b Dawes Street Chapel Hill NC 27516 Phone: 984-322-0796 Email: kelakexel@gmail.com Year of OC Residence: 2019 Township of Residence: Chapel Hill Zone of Residence: C.H. City Limits Gender Identity: Female Ethnic Background: White Age Range: 35-59 Community Activities/Organizational Memberships: I do volunteer community interpreting, often for Worker s Compensation-related medical appointments, among other things. I am interested in affordable housing as this is an issue that hits close to home as a single mother. Past Service on Orange County Advisory Boards: None Boards/Commissions applied for: Affordable Housing Advisory Board Background, education and experience relevant to this board: I have a Masters in Translation and Interpretation, and yet I struggle to afford housing in Orange County as a single mother of 2 boys, especially through the pandemic. The rising cost of rental housing is of critical importance to me, and I understand issues faced by more and more families, for whom rental rates easily exceed 50% of their income. Reasons for wanting to serve on this board: I would like to get involved in affordable housing at the county level. I believe there are good organizations that address housing already in existence in Orange County, and yet more can and must be done to address housing affordability, access to housing, and removing obstacles for everyday people in need of housing, especially in a locale so heavily saturated with college students, and thus with so much of the rental housing being available at rates only manageable by 4 separate adult roommates, all paying for their own room, thus making the hypothetical $4000 rent for a 4 bedroom house affordable to them but entirely off-limits to a single-income family. There is a need for more programs that help broaden access to affordable housing for average single-income families, for example. The Community Empowerment Fund is one great example in Chapel Hill of an organization that attempts to tackle a fundamentally important issue such as housing. I would like to raise awareness of the matter of housing availability and affordability and the fact that it impacts everyone. Contribution to the diversity of viewpoints on this board: