2023-243-E-AMS-Habitat for Humanity-Solar on Habitat for Humanity Homes

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calculations: Black and white households. The median net wealth of white families is 10 times greater than that of Black families ($171,000 vs. $17,600). As a result, Black parents have dramatically less wealth, assets, and economic security to pass on to their children, driving economic, educational, and housing disparities for the next generation. Of 334 households who have purchased Habitat homes in Orange County, 89% identify as households of color. Nearly 44% identify as Black or African American, 27% Hispanic/Latin, 15% Asian and 12% white. Languages represented include English, Karen, Burmese, Spanish, Arabic, and Swahili. Habitat homeowners in Orange County who identify as Black own a combined $14 million in equity, or an average of $116,000 per homeowner. (www.orangehabitat.org/raceandhousing). The requested funding will support solar installations in three locations in Orange County: The Fairview Community in Hillsborough, Weavers Grove in Chapel Hill, and the historic Northside Community in downtown Chapel Hill. We expect the applicant pool to reflect previous demographic patterns. The Northside-based Roberson Street project, Gattis Court, is a collaboration between Habitat and the Northside Neighborhood Initiative (NNI). The NNI is a collaborative effort among residents, the Jackson Center, Self- Help, UNC, the Towns of Chapel Hill and Carrboro, and area affordable housing agencies to preserve the future of the Historically Black neighborhoods through land- banking and creative community development. To our knowledge, Gattis Court will be the first affordable project for homeownership built within Town of Chapel Hill limits that incorporates solar power. Habitat is working with the Jackson Center to conduct outreach to residents of Northside to publicize the opportunity for affordable homeownership at Gattis Court. Issues of racial equity, housing affordability, and climate change are inextricably connected. Energy costs directly impact housing affordability for homeowners and renters alike. A low-income renter priced out of the housing market is less likely to enjoy the benefits that stem from green building and climate resiliency efforts. Monthly energy costs also have a disproportionate impact on renters and low-income households, who must spend a higher percentage of their paycheck on energy bills. When monthly housing and energy bills are too high, it becomes nearly impossible to set aside money for a future down-payment, or a DocuSign Envelope ID: 9E4C108B-9C5C-4E75-9AF1-C4CA2E16CEC5