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13 <br /> Vice-Chair McKee said he appreciates that the property owners recognized the cotton gin <br /> for what it was and were willing to work to save it. He said he is sure it is restorable. <br /> Commissioner Fowler said this was very interesting to learn about and thanked Peter <br /> Sandbeck for his thorough work. <br /> b. Public Hearinq on Close Out of CDBG-CV Grant for EmergencV Housing Assistance <br /> The Board held a public hearing on closing out Orange County's Federal Community <br /> Development Block Grant— Coronavirus (CDBG-CV) funds. <br /> BACKGROUND: On August 25, 2020, Governor Roy Cooper announced the availability of$28 <br /> million from federal Community Development Block Grant — Coronavirus (CDBG-CV) funding to <br /> be disbursed by the North Carolina Office of Recovery and Resiliency (NCORR)to support rental <br /> and utility payments and prevent evictions for those with a demonstrated need. <br /> Orange County applied for the CDBG-CV funds to be used with the County's existing Emergency <br /> Housing Assistance (EHA) fund, which provides financial assistance to help Orange County <br /> residents with low incomes secure and maintain stable housing. Assistance was available to <br /> households in Orange County that earn no more than 60% of the area median income and had <br /> an urgent need for housing assistance. The total amount awarded to Orange County was <br /> $900,000. <br /> In accordance with closing out the grant, Orange County must hold a public hearing to obtain <br /> residents' comments about the program's impact and how it was administered. In addition to this <br /> public hearing, residents had from September 15 through October 15, 2023 to submit comments <br /> to the Housing Department's Community Stability Manager, Libbie Hough, via email, in writing, or <br /> by phone. <br /> (In January 2023, the program instituted a cap of $6,000/calendar year and moved to assisting <br /> households in Orange County that earn no more than 30% of the area median income, except in <br /> the cases of eviction, utility disconnections, and exiting homelessness. Since July 2023, income <br /> has not used to qualify for assistance; however, the household must document notice of eviction, <br /> imminent utility disconnection, or that they are exiting homelessness. These changes were made <br /> as funding for the program depleted CDBG-CV funds and transitioned to American Rescue Plan <br /> Act (ARPA) funds.) <br /> Municipal updates <br /> -County EHA staff served as the program administrators for CDBG-CV awards given to the Town <br /> of Carrboro and the Town of Hillsborough. This meant that clients applied for assistance from the <br /> County, and the County invoiced the Towns for those expenses. County CDBG-CV funds covered <br /> the Town of Chapel Hill as the town is a CDBG direct service recipient and could not draw down <br /> further assistance. <br /> - The Town of Carrboro has expended all funds ($900,000) and is currently in its close out <br /> process. The Town of Hillsborough will have expended its funds by this fall ($600,000) and begin <br /> its close-out process thereafter. <br /> Unique households served: Many households applied multiple times throughout the life of the <br /> grant. <br />