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2 <br /> 1 in Orange County. He said that they are not aware of any research to show the effectiveness of <br /> 2 previous affordable housing projects. He said that in looking forward, it would be nice to know if <br /> 3 the things the county is spending money on are actually helping. He said they would like to know <br /> 4 if previous projects have actually helped affordability in the specific areas that have been targeted. <br /> 5 He said they want to know which areas of the county have been helped the most. He said they <br /> 6 plan to start that in May. He said that advocacy is another key point and making sure the <br /> 7 community's thoughts get to the Board of County Commissioners. <br /> 8 Commissioner Richards asked how the research project would be structured. <br /> 9 Matthew Ferguson said that the members of the Affordable Housing Board would look <br /> 10 through the records of previous board meetings to see which projects have been approved and <br /> 11 the money that was spent. He said they will then look at the housing data to see how the homeless <br /> 12 population has been impacted and what is the population that needs housing assistance. He said <br /> 13 the project will not be contracted out. <br /> 14 Vice-Chair Greene encouraged the Affordable Housing Advisory Board to take advantage <br /> 15 of resources that already exist. She said that the Chapel Hill Housing Authority and the <br /> 16 Partnership to End Homelessness already have a lot of data. She said it was a great idea to go <br /> 17 back and look at 20 years of expenditures. She asked if the board is looking at housing for the <br /> 18 whole county, including municipalities. <br /> 19 Matthew Ferguson said yes. <br /> 20 Commissioner Hamilton said it is important to define affordable housing and being clear <br /> 21 on that. <br /> 22 Chair Bedford thanked the board for reviewing applications for the affordable housing <br /> 23 funds. She said that the questions brought up by the Affordable Housing Advisory Board were <br /> 24 similar to the questions she had. She said she thought the board did a good job of reconciling <br /> 25 the issue of naturally occurring affordable housing with what was in the rubric. She said she <br /> 26 thinks the board will be reviewing, updating, and bringing the rubric back to the BOCC in the <br /> 27 future. She said that advisory boards can learn from each other and encouraged the Affordable <br /> 28 Housing Advisory Board to meet with other groups. <br /> 29 Commissioner Portie-Ascott thanked the Affordable Housing Advisory Board for their work <br /> 30 and the proposed research project. She asked if the board would establish goals on the number <br /> 31 of affordable housing units needed in the county. <br /> 32 Matthew Ferguson said that could be at a later stage, but right now they want to focus on <br /> 33 what has been done previously and then can begin looking forward. <br /> 34 Vice-Chair Greene said that was something they would hope they could find a contractor <br /> 35 to do for all the jurisdictions in the county. She said that Chapel Hill has done a housing study <br /> 36 which gets down to very specific levels of income and the types of housing needed. <br /> 37 Commissioner Fowler said she appreciated the clearly delineated goals and looks forward <br /> 38 to hearing more from the board. <br /> 39 Commissioner Portie-Ascott asked if the research will review how zoning impacts <br /> 40 affordable housing. <br /> 41 Matthew Ferguson said that once they have the data, they could look at if there were <br /> 42 zoning changes during the study period. He said that it is not currently part of the project, but it <br /> 43 could be kept in mind as they move forward. <br /> 44 Commissioner Fowler said having a discussion with the Planning Board could be <br /> 45 beneficial for the research project. <br /> 46 Alice Mahood from the Orange County Housing Authority Board said one of the biggest <br /> 47 accomplishments is initiating a waiting list for the first time since 2017, increased their voucher <br /> 48 utilization from 575 to 630 in just a single year, they held their first event with a client meet and <br /> 49 greet and plan to hold more, they have issued all 19 emergency housing vouchers, they have 4 <br /> 50 new participants approved for the home ownership program and for the first time since she's been <br /> 51 on the board that they have a full board. She said that they have two residents on the board, and <br />