Orange County NC Website
3 <br /> that their perspective is greatly appreciated. She said in the next year they hope to keep a full <br /> board, conduct a lottery pool for the newly opened waitlist, continue in person events, and <br /> continue to save money and increase efficiency through software upgrades. <br /> Chair Bedford asked what is the Moving to Work program. <br /> Blake Rosser, interim Housing Director, said that the Moving to Work program is a bit <br /> obsolete because they have missed the cutoff for that program rating. He said that they were <br /> awarded the standard rating. He said HUD calls this a demonstration program, or pilot, to see <br /> what happens when subsidy funding can be used for more administrative purposes. He said they <br /> were hopeful but will not be able to proceed with that. He said that there is another program called <br /> the family self-sufficiency program that they are hoping to participate in. He said the waitlist is not <br /> open yet, but it is prepared to open soon. He said there is a list, and they hope to use it this <br /> summer. He said there are probably 700 names on it. <br /> Commissioner Richards asked if there is a maximum number of vouchers for Orange <br /> County. <br /> Blake Rosser said the maximum is 687. He said that they have gotten gradual increases <br /> over the years. He said they are working to make sure all of the vouchers are being utilized. <br /> Commissioner Richards asked if they would discuss the working relationship with <br /> landlords. <br /> Blake Rosser said they have a staff member that is the coordinator for landlord outreach. <br /> He said they offer a landlord incentive program, and it has been around for3 or 4 years. He said <br /> that it provides a signing bonus and a risk mitigation program. He said that is more robust than <br /> many other housing authorities and they are fortunate to be able to do that. He said that voucher <br /> utilization increases can be attributed to this program and the transfer of people from other <br /> jurisdictions. <br /> Commissioner Hamilton asked for information about the meet and greet. <br /> Blake Rosser said that it was in August at Anderson Park. He said about 80 people came <br /> and they served hot dogs to attendees. He said they were championing their homeownership <br /> program and there was a lot of interest. He said that it is an exciting program. <br /> Commissioner Hamilton asked how most people traveled to the meet and greet. <br /> Blake Rosser said that most people came by car. He said that in the future, he wants to <br /> find a park that is on several transit lines. <br /> Commissioner Portie-Ascott asked if all voucher recipients are in their own homes. <br /> Blake Rosser said yes. <br /> Commissioner Portie-Ascott asked how many landlords the department works with. <br /> Blake Rosser said he was not sure of the total. <br /> Commissioner Portie-Ascott asked how many new landlords they have gotten. <br /> Blake Rosser said the only way they can track that is by looking at the number of signing <br /> bonuses they have provided and that is between 30-40. <br /> Commissioner Portie-Ascott asked if that was higher or lower than previous years. <br /> Blake Rosser said it was about in line with previous years and that has been between 25- <br /> 40. <br /> Vice-Chair Greene asked if Chapel Hill Housing is using the Family Self Sufficiency (FSS) <br /> program. <br /> Blake Rosser said he did not know if they were using FSS specifically, but they have a <br /> similar program that aligns with home ownership. He said he will reach out to them when they are <br /> ready to start. <br /> Commissioner McKee arrived at 7:24 p.m. <br /> Leon Meyers from the Board of Adjustment said they met 4 times to hear and decide two <br /> cases. He said they also had two administrative meetings for a total of 6 meetings. He said that <br />