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6 <br /> Beverly Payne, Tribal Council member of the Occaneechi Band of the Saponi Nation <br /> Tribe, thanked the Board for the proclamation and thanked them for their service to Orange <br /> County. She said she knows how hard they all work and appreciates everything they do. <br /> 5. Public Hearings <br /> a. Public Hearing on Orange County's HOME-ARP Allocation Plan <br /> The Board held a public hearing on Orange County's HOME-ARP Allocation Plan. <br /> BACKGROUND: The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 appropriated $5 billion nationwide to <br /> provide housing, services, and shelter to individuals experiencing homelessness and other <br /> vulnerable populations. The funds were allocated by formula to jurisdictions through the U.S. <br /> Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) HOME Investment Partnership (HOME) <br /> Program. This funding is called "HOME-ARP". In September 2021, HUD awarded the Orange <br /> County HOME Consortium (which consists of the County—the "lead entity" for the Consortium — <br /> and the Towns of Carrboro, Chapel Hill, and Hillsborough) $1,371,401 in HOME-ARP funds. <br /> Led by the Local Government Affordable Housing Collaborative (a group made up of one elected <br /> official from each jurisdiction that comprises the Consortium), the Orange County HOME <br /> Consortium must develop an Allocation Plan to identify priority housing and service needs in the <br /> community that may be supported with HOME-ARP funds and to describe the process that will <br /> be used to distribute HOME-ARP funds. The Consortium's $1.3 million in HOME-ARP may not <br /> be used for eligible housing projects or activities until an Allocation Plan is approved by HUD. It <br /> is not expected that any funds will be committed or disbursed in the near future, since the <br /> Consortium is just now starting the planning process. The Allocation Plan will determine how the <br /> HOME-ARP funds will be awarded to projects or activities and lay out, broadly, which types of <br /> eligible uses the Consortium plans to prioritize. <br /> Once the Allocation Plan is created, staff will follow the process outlined in the Plan. For example, <br /> if (based on the community engagement and needs assessment process), the Collaborative <br /> decides to distribute HOME-ARP funds through a competitive application process and to prioritize <br /> development of affordable housing, staff would then issue a funding application for affordable <br /> housing development projects. <br /> As part of the development of the Plan, Orange County must consult with stakeholders that work <br /> with the "Qualifying Populations" listed above. County and Town staff are actively engaging <br /> stakeholders by presenting at meetings, soliciting feedback through a survey, and incorporating <br /> feedback from the Towns' community engagement processes around ARPA funding. <br /> As the lead entity of the Consortium, the County must hold a public hearing to obtain residents' <br /> comments and feedback on how the HOME-ARP funds should be awarded. Members of the <br /> public may submit comments at the public hearing and during the public comment period (October <br /> 22 — November 7, 2022) to Shaina Crump, Community Development Specialist, by email <br /> (scrump(@orangecountync.gov), by mail (PO Box 8181, Hillsborough, NC 27278) or by telephone <br /> (919-886-3574). <br /> The County held a public hearing last Fall, and since then staff have drafted the HOME-ARP <br /> Allocation Plan based on the feedback received during the first public hearing and public comment <br /> period, on the other community engagement and stakeholder consultation efforts (including a <br /> survey and presentations at community meetings), and from the ARPA public participation <br /> processes being conducted by the Towns of Carrboro and Chapel Hill. <br />